Nearly two months after a Navy petty officer died in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, the sea service is remaining largely mum regarding what happened.
Command officials said Cryptologic Technician (Technical) 1st Class Robin Nicole Collins, 26, died July 18 while on duty.
A Naval Safety Center mishap report states Collins died after a “shelter roof and chimney collapsed during heavy weather.”
But when asked for further details regarding where Collins died, and how, 6th Fleet spokeswoman Cmdr. Richlyn Ivey declined to comment further.
“Due to operational security, we are not able to release the location or nature of the operation,” she said in an email this month.
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The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating Collins’ death, Ivey said.
Collins’ family did not respond to requests for comment.
Her LinkedIn page lists Collins as an intelligence analyst and first-line supervisor who was getting ready to transition out of the military.
“I want to change careers into alternative energy to help lead the U.S. to a green future,” she wrote on her profile. Collins had attended college at Stetson University, Eastern Florida State and Penn State, working toward a degree in environmental sustainability, according to her obituary.
Sixth Fleet is a sprawling command, meaning Collins could have been operating in any number of locations when she died.
It covers half the Atlantic Ocean, spanning from the Arctic to the Antarctic coastline, as well as the Mediterranean and other European seas.
The command’s remit includes all of Russia and Europe, as well as nearly all of Africa, encompassing 105 countries in all.
Collins enlisted in 2016 and spent four months at the Navy’s Information Warfare Training Center before reporting to the Naples, Italy, based 6th Fleet in June 2020, according to her service record.
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She was born in St. Louis and raised in Titusville, Florida, according to her obituary, and is survived by her parents, her twin sister, a brother and several other family members.
“Robin proudly served in the United States Navy, which became her family away from home,” the obituary states. “She was so very close with all her coworkers, and they were always there for each other through thick and thin.”
Collins played sports, loved cooking and “was fascinated by other cultures,” according to her obituary.
“Robin will be remembered for her beautiful smile and outgoing nature,” it continues. “She was so loving and full of happiness always. She put others before herself, and she truly cared for everyone. She was greatly loved and will be dearly missed by all who knew her.”
Cryptologic technicians (technical) collect and analyze electronic intelligence and conduct electronic warfare, while operating and maintaining electronic sensors and computer systems, according to the Navy.
It’s a cerebral and often-autonomous job that involves working with highly classified material.
Such sailors provide analysis to facilities in England and Spain, which fall under 6th Fleet’s area of operations, as well as other sites worldwide, while also creating and maintaining databases for other agencies.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
