Navy warship runs aground near Honolulu airport

[namvet]

the USS San Franciso ran head on into an underwater mountain. killing one crew man.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in696229.shtml

CMDR Kevin Mooney was relieved of his command and given a career-ending letter of reprimand

[darrels joy]

Latest Try to Free Ship Grounded at Hawaii Fails


Navy fails in latest attempt to free warship that ran aground off Honolulu coast


By HERBERT A. SAMPLE Associated Press Writer
HONOLULU February 8, 2009 (AP)


The Navy says its third attempt to free a $1 billion warship that ran aground off the coast of Hawaii has failed.

Tugboats and a salvage ship tried unsuccessfully for four hours early Sunday to pull the USS Port Royal off a rock and sand shoal. The guided missile cruiser ran aground Thursday about a half-mile south of the Honolulu airport.

Pacific Fleet spokeswoman Agnes Tauyan says the Navy is reassessing its options.

The Navy had removed fuel, water and some personnel from the 9,600-ton vessel on Saturday in an effort to lighten it.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6829389

[namvet]

wonder what Rear Adm. Dixon R. Smith's report will say?????

[QM3steve]

As a QM, there should have been more than enough information to know where you are in shallow waters that close to land. The bearing takers (if there were any) should have been marking positions every 3 minutes, and if the QM was unsure where they were, he has all the power to have the CO come to "all-stop" until he/she is sure. Tides are also taken into account. With the number of QMs on a ship that size, there should have been no excuse. I find it hard to believe that a chart cold have been wrong... and even they must be updated before leaving port for any reason.

Ironically, the ship I was on, the CGC Gallatin, ran aground leaving drydock in 1983 in Curtis Bay, Md. Fortunately, it was just before I got stationed on her.

[DeadlyDaring]

Honda Point Disaster would have to be the best navigational joke of all the navies in the world

[darrels joy]

Navy frees stuck warship off coast of Honolulu

Feb 9 12:52 PM US/Eastern


PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) - The Navy on Monday freed the $1 billion guided missile cruiser that had been stuck for more than three days since it ran aground close to the coast of Honolulu.

The USS Port Royal was pulled off a rock and sand shoal at around 2 a.m. after crews removed about 500 tons of water and 100 tons of anchors and other equipment to lighten the vessel, the Navy said in a statement.

The removal by a salvage ship and seven tug boats took about 40 minutes.

No one was injured during the recovery effort, said Rear Adm. Joe Walsh, the U.S. Pacific Fleet deputy commander.

The area was to be examined to determine if the ship leaked any fuel, said Coast Guard Capt. Barry Compagnoni.

The Port Royal was being towed to Naval Station Pearl Harbor for inspection.

The guided missile cruiser ran aground Thursday just off Honolulu International Airport. It was visible to everyone flying in and out of Oahu and also was in clear view from a nearby public beach park.

The ship ran hit bottom while sailors, contractors and shipyard personnel were being unloaded. The 15-year-old Port Royal usually has about 24 officers and 340 enlisted sailors on board.

Efforts to refloat the vessel during the weekend were unsuccessful.

On Sunday, the Navy was able to turn the ship more than 20 degrees but still couldn't pull it free.

The Navy has not discussed what might have caused the grounding.

An investigation was expected once the ship returns to shore.

The vessel had just finished its first day of sea trials after wrapping up a four-month routine maintenance stay at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.

The Pearl Harbor-based Port Royal, one of the Navy's most advanced ships, is equipped with Aegis ballistic missile tracking technology.


http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...icle=1&catnum=

[SuperScout]

"The Pearl Harbor-based Port Royal, one of the Navy's most advanced ships, is equipped with Aegis ballistic missile tracking technology."

.... according to an AP story. What got edited out was, "The highly sophisticated navgational system, where a Squid employs a rock tied to a long piece of cord marked at 10' intervals and lowered over the side, was found to be inoperative due to a missing rock."

[1CAVCCO15MED]

Close to right there, Brice. I have some inside info. It had just been out of drydock and all the sophisticated navigations systems were not working. The Captain didn't want to take it out in that condition by his Admiral insisted. Shouldn't have mattered that much except it might show how unsuited the Captain was for the job. He has already been relieved along with several others I assume from the bridge. The thing was stuck 150 yards or so onto a reef and tore out all the rudder, prop , sonar, etc from underneath. It is so damaged they are seriously considering scrapping it.

[Boats]

The skipper got yanked - those mistakes can take away your career or at the very least sea duty.

[namvet]

hold the phone here. if mr Admiral insisted then its his responsibility not the captain.