USS Yorktown Aids in Tanker Crew’s Rescue

Navy NewsStand ^ | 3/22/2004 3:34:00 PM | Multiple authors - see body of thread

[BykrBayb]

Story Number: NNS040322-10 Release Date: 3/22/2004 3:34:00 PM

From Commander, Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- USS Yorktown (CG 48) aided in the recovery of two dozen mariners March 22, after their tanker collided with a fishing vessel and caught fire off the coast of Oman.

At approximately 7:30 a.m. local time, motor vessel Everton made a bridge-to-bridge distress call indicating they had collided with fishing vessel Chun Ying, resulting in a fire amidships and possibly rupturing Everton’s oil tanks, fueling the fire. Several commercial vessels nearby Everton aided in recovering 24 of its 25 crewmen, who abandoned the 567-foot Greek-flagged ship.

Yorktown, operating less than 80 nautical miles from Everton, proceeded at best speed and arrived on-scene within hours. Yorktown sent its rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) to one of the other commercial vessels and took approximately seven of Everton’s crew, including its master, back to the cruiser to assess the situation and coordinate a plan to help fight the fire.

While aboard, Everton’s mariners used Yorktown’s computers to send e-mails to relatives, assuring them of their safety despite the accident.

Yorktown dispatched its SH-60B Seahawk, a ‘Proud Warrior’ from Mayport, Fla.-based Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 42, to aid in the search and rescue effort. They also redeployed their RHIB with several Everton crewmen, a P-250 pump and several five-gallon containers of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam to help smother the flames coming from Everton.

One of the vessel’s crew members is still listed as missing, and the fire aboard Everton was reported as “under control” at the time of release. No information about possible oil pollution was available.

The Pascagoula, Miss.-based Aegis guided-missile cruiser is part of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2, currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

For related news, visit the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cusnc.

[rmlew]

Couldn't a frigate do this? It seems like a waste for a Ticonderoga class guided missle cruiser to do this.
Besides, shouldn't these be attached to CVBG's, MEU's and other high value targets for AA protection?

[Eva]

So, who owns the ship, the Everton?

[BykrBayb]

Several commercial vessels nearby Everton aided in recovering 24 of its 25 crewmen, who abandoned the 567-foot Greek-flagged ship.

[Eva]

The flag means nothing. The name is English and ship probably had a flag of convenience.

[BykrBayb]

I think Yorktown is currently on a drug interdiction mission, but I'm not sure. In any event, when a rescue at sea is needed, we don't refuse to send the nearest vessel because she's better suited to other operations. We send whatever vessel(s) can get there quickest. Rescue operations are high priority.

[csvset]

The Pascagoula, Miss.-based Aegis guided-missile cruiser is part of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2, currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Expeditionary Strike Group Two (ESG-2) recently deployed in the continuing support of the global war on terrorism. The Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) consists of the guided missile cruisers USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and USS Yorktown (CG 48), amphibious transport ship USS Shreveport (LPD 12), dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41), guided missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74), fast attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU). U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class James E. Perkins. (RELEASED)

[AmericaUnited]

I thought the Yorktown was sitting in the port of Charleston, SC, as a museum. When did they start reusing names?

[BykrBayb]

Ah, thank you. I stand corrected.

[Bob]

I thought the Yorktown was sitting in the port of Charleston, SC, as a museum. When did they start reusing names?

That surprised me too. Of course, I didn't realize that DDG hull numbers were up to 74 either. Mine was DDG-13. :=)

[Poohbah]

Couldn't a frigate do this? It seems like a waste for a Ticonderoga class guided missle cruiser to do this.

The law of the sea says that if you're in the area, you render assistance, not say "I'm far too important."

Besides, shouldn't these be attached to CVBG's, MEU's and other high value targets for AA protection?

The Block I Ticos (CG 47-51) are coming due for retirement--the Yorktown is from this group.

[Poohbah]

I thought the Yorktown was sitting in the port of Charleston, SC, as a museum. When did they start reusing names?

In the 19th century.

The Yorktown at Patriot's Point is no longer in the Register of Naval Vessels.

[BykrBayb]

Actually, it's fairly common for the Navy to reuse names. That's why it's important to use hull numbers when identifying a vessel. I was recently looking for a photo of a ship (I forget the name now) and I didn't have the hull number. I turned up 4 different vessels. The oldest one was in the Confederate Navy.

[BykrBayb]

I've been looking for information on Everton, and can't seem to turn anything up. The flag does mean something though. If it's flying a Greek flag, that means it's Greek.

[Stonewall Jackson]

You ought to go to www.Hazegray.Org and go to their naval history section. They have every Confederate warship listed there, including seven or eight different ships named Texas, some of which were in service at the same time.

[Turk82_1]

Everton was the bumbling assistant cook in the BBC comedy show Chef!

I guess he bumbled into the sushi vendor.

[BykrBayb]

LOL - Coincidence? I think not!

[Eva]

No, it doesn't mean that it is Greek. It means that it is registered in Greece. A company can be located anywhere and register their ships in a country with favorable regulations for the trade that they are running. The Everton could be Greek, but with an English name, it might not be.

[ApplegateRanch]

And not a Sullivans Class DD in the batch! What kind of "group" is that?

[CasearianDaoist]

When they decommission a ship they reuse the name.