On November 22, 1977, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident was completed. We now have a complete copy (nearly 600 pages) of the formal investigation, including 360 pages of testimony and 190 pages of exhibits.
The file is too large to post here, but if you would like your own copy, you can find it at Barcelona JAG Report.
If your accident related claim has been denied by the VA this document may be helpful.
“THANK YOU” to Michael D. Iacino for graciously sharing his copy of the investigation, making it possible for us to share it with you.
Remembering Gunnery Sergeant Michael Tyrone Nixon. Nixon was a Staff Sergeant serving with Alpha Company 1st Battalion 6th Marines on the USS Guam in January 1977. He was on the LCM-8 when it was struck by the freighter and capsized.
Carrick, a Yeoman 2nd Class assigned to the USS Guam, was in a group left on shore because the launch was full. He witnessed the accident, which occurred a short time after the launch pulled away from the pier.
“Officials said that only the fast action by Spanish tugboats, which righted the launch and rescued more than a dozen men from the 1½-foot airspace below the inverted deck, prevented the death toll from being even higher,” according to the article in the Lawton newspaper.
LCM-6 Accident - Barcelona, Spain - 17 January 1977 