Only someone at home around water would swim the fast-moving Cumberland River, especially at night.[Emphasis mine] I figured I'd sit on the story until I saw some confirmation, but never did, and forgot about it until today; the story only inferred that he was a Submariner because he was loading the loot into their car, but didn't say he'd been captured. Does anyone know if this really was a Sailor demonstrating his great Boot Camp swimming skills, or did the Submariner's car get stolen by the thief?
That's why helicopters and rescue boats scoured the stretch of river near Opry Mills mall, looking not only to catch but also to save a man suspected of shoplifting who dove into the fast-moving water Tuesday night.
Police say the suspect is a sailor who swam downstream and nodded a friendly hello to barge operators.
The crew member of the submarine USS Tennessee, stationed in Kings Bay, Ga., was visiting the Nashville area as part of a goodwill community program. His name has not been released.
"His naval training is, we believe, responsible for him being able to negotiate the Cumberland River and getting out of the water," Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said.
Police believe the man stole some boxes of ammunition and a T-shirt from the Bass Pro Shop in Opry Mills and left the items in the trunk of a car in the parking lot before he was chased by a security guard.
The car was not reported stolen in Nashville, Aaron said, but was reported as such to the owner, the U.S. Navy. It was registered to the government and assigned to five sailors who were in town for Nashville Navy Week, said Lt. Taylor Clark from Submarine Group 10.
A group of USS Tennessee sailors visited veterans at the VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro and, according to Navy Week's schedule, were supposed to meet with children at the Boys & Girls Club later in the afternoon.
A Story Begging For Follow-up
Last month, I stumbled across a story about a Submariner from USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) who supposedly shoplifted from a store in Nashville while in town on a COMREL visit: