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Dewey Smith | |
|---|---|
 Smith seen through viewport of Aquarius underwater habitat. | |
| Born | Dewey Dewayne Smith July 24, 1972 Kirkwood, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | May 5, 2009(2009-05-05) (aged 36) nearAquarius Reef Base, Key Largo, Florida, U.S. |
| Education | B.S., underwatercrime scene investigation,Florida State University |
| Occupation(s) | U.S. NavyHospital Corpsman,commercial diver,aquanaut |
Dewey Dewayne Smith (July 24, 1972 – May 5, 2009)[1] was anunderwater diver, formerUnited States Navymedic and professionalaquanaut. He died during a dive from theAquariusunderwater habitat offKey Largo in May 2009.[2][3][4] A subsequent investigation determined that multiple factors combined to cause the accident.[5]
Smith was born inKirkwood, Missouri, but grew up and lived for most of his life inPanama City, Florida. He served in theUnited States Navy as aHospital Corpsman aboard the USSPeleliu inSan Diego,California, and washonorably discharged after five years of service. He learned toscuba dive while working withFlorida State University's Underwater Crime Scene Investigation program.[2][6][7] Smith graduated from FSU with aB.S. degree in underwatercrime scene investigation in 2005.[7][8] He subsequently worked as acommercial diver with Miracle Strip Welding & Marine Services and RME-Diver inPanama City Beach,Florida.[2][6][9]
Smith joined Aquarius, which is owned by theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by theUniversity of North Carolina Wilmington, in 2007. He worked as a habitat technician and undersea research diver.[3][6][10] As part of his work with Aquarius, Smith answered questions from schoolchildren.[11][12]
In August 2007, Smith took part as a habitat technician in theNASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 13 (NEEMO 13) mission, one of a series ofNASA-NOAA missions which use Aquarius as ananalog environment for space exploration. The NEEMO 13 crew lived and worked underwater aboard Aquarius for ten days.[13][14][15]
In May 2009, Smith was aboard Aquarius to train U.S. Navy divers insaturation diving and prepare for upcoming scientific studies in theConch Reef area.[3]
On May 5, 2009, Smith was assisting two Navy divers, Bill Dodd and Corey Seymour, who were 300 feet (91 m) from Aquarius using an underwaterjackhammer to install a way station that would contain breathable air. Smith informed Dodd and Seymour that he was returning to Aquarius but would be back. Five or ten minutes later, Seymour noticed that Smith was lying on his side in the water, his mouthpiece out of his mouth. Seymour began carrying Smith back to Aquarius, but his air umbilical became fouled about thirty yards from the habitat. Dodd carried Smith the rest of the distance to Aquarius, where the other divers in the habitat helped them get Smith inside. Resuscitation attempts by Dodd, Seymour, and two Navy physicians who dove to the habitat were unsuccessful. Smith was pronounced dead at 3:25 pm by a Navy doctor. His death was the first associated with the Aquarius program.[3][4][10]
A subsequent investigation by a panel of outside experts determined that Smith's death was caused by a combination of three factors: the failure of the electronic functions of hisInspiration closed circuit rebreather (CCR) due to hydrodynamic forces from the hydraulic impact hammer being used nearby, Smith's inattention to his handset andhead up displays, and the other two divers allowing Smith to return to Aquarius alone. The investigation concluded that due to these issues Smith became unconscious fromhypoxia and drowned when the mouthpiece came out of his mouth. Saturation and CCR diving at Aquarius were suspended in the wake of Smith's death, but the review board recommended that they be resumed with the implementation of additional safety measures.[5]
Energy and Environment Subcommittee ChairmanBrian Baird recognized Smith's service on the floor of theU.S. House of Representatives.[12] U.S. RepresentativeIleana Ros-Lehtinen, whose district includes theFlorida Keys and who had met Smith during a visit to the Aquarius facility, also offered a statement of condolence.[3][16][17] On May 15, 2009, at a panel at International Space Medicine Summit III devoted to human performance in analog environments,astronaut-aquanautDafydd Williams, who had participated in two NEEMO missions, asked for a moment of silence in Smith's memory.[18] Aquarius donated a Superlite 17diving helmet, the helmet most frequently worn by Aquarius aquanauts, to theHistory of Diving Museum inIslamorada,Florida in memory of Smith.[19]
Smith was atriathlete.[20] He enjoyed playing the drums, tennis, exercising and movies.[6]
