Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office identified a 44-year-old man who died Sunday while participating in a biathlon at Kailua Beach as a Navy officer and husband of the commander of the Pearl Harbor-based destroyer USS Halsey.
Lt. Cmdr. Erik Sweet drowned while participating in the Kailua Dash & Splash Biathlon with his wife, Cmdr. Linda Seymour, a Pearl Harbor spokesman said.
Sweet was found unresponsive when he was brought to shore at 7:45 a.m. Emergency Medical Services took Sweet to a hospital, where he later died.
A police report said there are no signs of foul play. The medical examiner classified the case as an accidental drowning.
The Navy said Sweet was a maintenance officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Stennis in Bremerton, Wash., and was visiting with his wife. He listed his home as Port Orchard, Wash. He was planning to retire from the Navy on Friday after nearly 26 years of service, and had plans to operate a restaurant in Washington state.
Memorial services will be held in Washington and Hawaii.
The Kailua Dash & Splash Biathlon is a 2.8-mile run around Lanikai Loop and an 800-meter swim along Kailua Beach.
Seymour relieved Cmdr. Gary L. Cave as commanding officer of the destroyer USS Halsey on April 18, 2014.