The merchant ship did not respond, and, appearing in no need of assistance, it departed the area.
Man, Osama may have been onboard!
Posted on 11/13/2002 2:33:25 PM PST by jern
W A S H I N G T O N, Nov. 13 — A Navy submarine bumped a surface ship as it was ascending to periscope depth in the western Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, officials said.
No one aboard the submarine was injured, according to a statement released by the U.S. Sixth Fleet at Gaeta, Italy.
It was not immediately clear what vessel was struck by the submarine, the USS Oklahoma City. When the nuclear-power attack submarine reached the surface it spotted a merchant ship and attempted to make radio contact. The merchant ship did not respond, and, appearing in no need of assistance, it departed the area.
The sub continued to search for other ships in the area. The Navy said it would proceed to an unidentified port to inspect for damage and undertake repairs.
The accident recalled a February 2001 collision between the submarine USS Greenville and a Japanese fishing vessel off the coast of Hawaii that killed nine Japanese. That set off a storm of protests in Japan and a high-profile investigation of the Greenville's crew, which was faulted for not spotting the Japanese boat.
In Wednesday's accident, the sail of the Oklahoma City the vertical structure containing a periscope station "came into brief contact with" the hull of a vessel east of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Sixth Fleet announcement said. It happened in international waters as the Oklahoma City was rising to periscope depth.
An investigation is under way.
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Very suspicious. We should've boarded it.
The reason it was such a disaster last time is because they were giving some civilians a joy ride and came roaring out of the water like in the Navy recruiting commercials. This boat was apparently just coming to periscope depth and had no clue it was underneath a merchie.
Sad.
That, or torpedoed it!!
The merchant ship did not respond, and, appearing in no need of assistance, it departed the area.
Man, Osama may have been onboard!
That's what's scary.
The Captain is going to be at the end of a long green table with no ashtray..
Pookie & ME (Surface Weenie)
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