Capt. Tushar Tembe, India-born commander of America's 100,000-ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, has died suddenly.
Tembe, 49, collapsed at about 10 am on Tuesday as he was leaving the ship he had commanded for the past three months as it was undergoing maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia, according to a Navy release on Thursday.
He was taken to the Bons Secours Maryview Medical Centre where he was later pronounced dead, the release stated. A cause of death has not yet been determined.
A naval aviator, Tembe took command of the Truman this summer, according to the Navy. He flew a variety of aircraft during his career, including the F/A-18 Hornet.
A graduate of Texas Tech University, Tembe who was born in Mumbai came to the United States as a child.
Tembe is survived by his wife and two sons. Plans for a memorial service and funeral arrangements have not been finalised.
"Capt. Tembe served the Navy and our nation honourably and with great distinction," Rear Adm. Ted Branch, Naval Air Force Atlantic commander, said in a statement.