Family Gets $1.4 Million in Tug Crewman’s Death
The Navy has reached a reported $1.4-million settlement with the widow and two children of a tugboat crewman killed when his craft was pulled underwater by a submarine.
The federal government did not admit fault in the death of Brian Belanger, according to documents on file in Norwalk Superior Court. Belanger was one of three crew members on the tug Barcona when the craft’s submerged tow cable was snagged by the nuclear-powered Houston about 10 miles off Santa Catalina Island on June 14, 1989.
The tug was swiftly pulled under and Belanger’s body was never found. The other crew members survived. The submarine was undamaged. The Navy would not comment on the settlement.
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