A wrongful death claim under federal maritime law accrues on or after the date of death, not earlier when the victim (soon-to-be deceased) learns of his illness or injury. The statute accrues on date of discovery of the illness, however, on claims under survival statutes that abrogate the common law rule that tort claims died with the plaintiff. Where the plaintiff in a survival action steps into the decedent’s shoes and sues on his claim, the heirs who bring wrongful death claims bring suit on their own rights which do not arise until the decedent’s death.