A Navy SEAL based in Virginia Beach died Wednesday morning after being injured during parachute training in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Thomas J. Valentine, 37, had been in the Navy since 1989. He was from Ham Lake, Minnesota.

The incident took place while conducting training at a military training facility previously used for parachute training by Navy personnel in Marana, Arizona. A maintenance worker at the Mission Royale Golf Course found the sailor on a green and called police at 7:14 a.m. local time, said city spokeswoman Betsy Rice. Police arrived minutes later and determined the sailor was dead.

“The SEALs were training from a base in Marana, Ariz., about 50 miles from the suburban community of Casa Grande”, Rice said.

A spokesman for Naval Special Warfare said in a statement that the incident is being investigated. No other details were released.

“Senior Chief Valentine was one of the finest SEALs I have ever known. He served his country with valor during multiple tours to Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Capt. Scott Moore, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Development Group in a released statement.

It’s the second fatal training accident in about two weeks for the Naval Special Warfare community. Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex Ghane, 22, was struck by gunfire and died during a live-fire combat training exercise on Jan. 30 in Lake Cormorant, Miss. Ghane, a Las Vegas native, was based with a SEAL team at Coronado Naval Amphibious Base in California.

Video: Navy SEAL Killed in Parachute Jump in Arizona

The United States Navy has awarded the contracts for the construction of the dual lead ships of the planned Zumwalt class (DDG 1000): a $1.4 billion cost-plus contract for the construction of DDG 1000 to General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, and a $1.4 billion cost-plus contract for the construction of DDG 1001 to Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding.

DDG 1000 and DDG 1001 are to be the lead ships of a class of next-generation multi-mission surface combatants tailored for land attack and littoral dominance. The dual lead ship strategy not only cuts cost but also encourages collaboration. The Navy and industry are using a thorough design-for-producibility process to decrease cost on the Zumwalt class without reducing key performance parameters.

DDG 1000 has been in design, development and demonstration for nearly six years. The ship will triple naval surface fires coverage as well as triple capability against anti-ship cruise missiles. With a 50-fold radar cross section reduction compared to current destroyers, DDG 1000 improves strike group defense 10-fold and has 10 times the operating area in shallow water regions against mines.

Said Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead, “When you look at DDG 1000, the technology is extraordinary. It is unique in that we have never tried to bring online so many new technologies, but the steps that have been taken and the investments that have been made have reduced the risk that is normally associated with new technology. The Zumwalt class of ships is really quite impressive.”

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On this day in 1996, the Sea Empress supertanker runs aground near Wales, spilling 70,000 tons of crude oil. Though the oil spill did not take any human lives, it damaged several bird sanctuaries.

The Sea Empress slammed into some underwater rocks and ran to the ground. The 28-meter Russian crew worked feverishly to re-float the tanker, while attempting to move the oil to undamaged holding areas. The foul weather reduced the effectiveness of these measures.

After some time, the crew of the ship was pulled off the Sea Empress by Royal Air Force helicopters. High winds prevented most salvage operations and the only measure officials could take was to drop detergent and chemicals over the growing oil spill. The 70,000 tons of oil spilled caused a 12-mile long oil slick. Beaches were covered with slimy oil, resulting in the deaths of thousands of seabirds.

Skomer and Skokholm islands suffered severe damage that was repaired 10 years later. For about a week, the Sea Empress was finally pulled in to port.