Navy Missile Cruiser Runs Aground Near Honolulu

Fox News ^ | February 7, 2009

[Zakeet]

Navy officials say an attempt to pull free a 9,600-ton warship that ran aground off the coast of Honolulu has been unsuccessful.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet says Navy tugboats and salvage ship USS Salvor tried to tow the USS Port Royal early Saturday but the guided missile cruiser remained stuck.

The Navy says it plans to try again after extracting fuel and water from the $1 billion vessel.

The 9,600-ton ship, while carrying guests that included a rear admiral, ran aground Thursday night on a sandy, rocky bottom. The cause of the grounding, as well the extent of the damage to the ship, remains under investigation.

An initial effort by Navy tugs early Friday to free the guided missile cruiser USS Port Royal also was unsuccessful.

[cva66snipe]

That captains career just went to Davy Jones locker.....

Not any Captains idea of a brilliant move but not necessarily a career ending one either. Chester Nimitz grounded the Decatur and went on up the ladder. Night time is rough and a lot of Captains get nervous about taking the ships in close quarters. Groundings aren't as uncommon as anyone might think either. http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/museum/casualties.htm

A night operation that close to shore with a crew just out of drydock? I have to ask what was the Admiral thinking? A mile out or even just outside the harbor would be an easy fast run for an Admirals Barge. Easier to take a 30-50 footer PB out to meet the ship than bring a ship in.

[mc5cents]

On 5 February, 2009, at 9 p.m. the USS Port Royal ran aground approximately a half-mile south of the Honolulu International airport’s Reef Runway.

Did the Capt. forget he was piloting a ship and not an aircraft?

[ErnBatavia]

south of the Honolulu International airport’s Reef Runway.

I remember taxiing way out to that area on some interisland flight; seemed to take forever, so I axed the waitress "Are we driving over to Kauai??"

[wxgesr]

I used to surf out there when I was stationed in Pearl Harbor. It is a long walk out along the reef runway fence, then jump off the rocks and paddle out to the break. Pretty choice and very uncrowded. Very sharky though, hammerhead breeding grounds.

The channel for Pearl is testy. I have sailed in and out on a friends 36 foot boat and occasionally on USN vessels. If at night, let's hope that one of the channel makers lights were out. That USS Port Royal was the cleanest, had the highest morale among her crew and was the best run ship in PACFLT in the late 90s.

[JohnBovenmyer]

It took 2 weeks to free the Missouri when she ran aground in 1950 just off Virginia.

[ArmstedFragg]

If a plane crash is referred to as a ‘sudden landing’, what do you call this, ‘sudden retirement’?

[wxgesr]

“what do you call this”

Hazards to navigation.

[HardStarboard]

>>>Yeah, there’s not much of a tidal variation in the islands.<<<

Right, plus the fact that if she was on sand or mud, she would probably settle flat as the tide ebbs. There's something hard somewhere under there - ouch!!

[Oztrich Boy]

The cause of the grounding, as well the extent of the damage to the ship, remains under investigation.

Shortage of seawater due to Global Warming.

[Stonewall Jackson]

My great-uncle, who commanded the heavy cruiser USS Albany in the late 1940's, must be turning over in his grave right about now.

[GATOR NAVY]

Pearl Harbor Entrance

You can see the entrance channel through the reef here.

[cva66snipe]

They freed her this morning by high tide and pulling her out. She’s headed to dry dock for hull inspection with a new Captain. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090209/ap_on_re_us/ship_grounding

[GATOR NAVY]

That’s good to hear. I was just wondering what was going to happen after yesterday’s failure.