Navy warship runs aground off reef runway

Honolulu Star Bulletin ^ | Feb 06, 2009 | By Gregg K. Kakesako

[BIGLOOK]

The $1 billion guided missile cruiser USS Port Royal, skippered by Capt. John Carroll, was returning to its homeport of Pearl Harbor when it ran aground just before 9 last night about one and one-half mile from the entrance to the Harbor.

[fso301]

Next step, skipper of a garbage barge.

[60Gunner]

It’s Obama’s fault. I blame Obama for my milk going sour, my tire going flat and my hair falling out, too.

[BIGLOOK]

If I remember correctly, USS Port Royal was the intercept guided missile cruiser in the successful shoot downs of ballistic missiles at Barking Sands.

This is a sad ending to stellar performances in the skipper's career.

[investigateworld]

What’s the old joke, Florida Trailer Parks are full of former Navy captains who found a new reef!

[Paladin2]

What’s the problem with reefing the main?

[truth_seeker]

That is the auto ferry at Horsewhoe Bay, British Columbia.

I took that from Nainaimo, on Vancouver Island.

Great scenery.

[SmithL]

Navigation by Braille is rarely career-enhancing.

[TheWasteLand]

I took that from Nainaimo, on Vancouver Island.

Hopefully you didn't take it that day ;)

[investigateworld]

The cabin boys complain :^)

[BIGLOOK]

Belay that last remark......It was CG 70 USS lake Erie in the intercept. Others that successfully shot down ballistic missiles were USS Paul Hamilton and USS Hopper, both DDGs.

Looks like Port Royal's skipper is SOL.

[BIGLOOK]

Hey Smitty.....I can drive by ear!

[Richard Kimball]

Oh, I dunno. Kennedy got his boat run over and it was a career enhancement. From what I read, in reality his dad's pull got him out of a court martial, and the press made something that normally ends a naval career into a great military victory, but Kennedy never skippered another naval vehicle, despite requesting several times to be assigned back to the PT squads.

What you say is true. Fubaring your boat is (with one exception) is always the end of a Navy career.

[mrs tiggywinkle]

ooops. that’s not going to look so good on his resume.

[ccmay]

Fubaring your boat is (with one exception) is always the end of a Navy career.

It won't be so good for those a couple of levels below him or above him in the chain of command, either.

[DesertRhino]

Disliking JFK for political reasons, fair enough. But where did you read that? What exactly did he deserve court martial for? Are you suggesting every navy skipper on the losing end of a night battle with the Japanese got court martialed, but only JFK avoided it?

I think his reputation in the Navy is fairly well documented, if you say he was a bum, you should back it up.

Especially considering he would be a far right extremist today, the current republican party wouldnt touch him with a 10 foot pole. The Democrats would go further and think he was a criminal.

Also,,not always the end. Ever hear of a guy named Nimitz?

[DesertRhino]

Seems this cat Nimitz ran a ship hard aground in a mudbank too. Wish we had JFK today. No republican in last years “contest” was half as conservative as he was.

[PAR35]

Are you suggesting every navy skipper on the losing end of a night battle

His boat, to which he had made unauthorized modifications, got run over by a slower, less maneuverable Japanese ship.

[Non-Sequitur]

From what I read, in reality his dad's pull got him out of a court martial, and the press made something that normally ends a naval career into a great military victory, but Kennedy never skippered another naval vehicle, despite requesting several times to be assigned back to the PT squads.

Not true. Following the loss of the 109 boat, Kennedy commanded PT-59 until November 1943 when he was hospitalized for the first time. He went back to the states for medical treatment for his back injury in January 1944. He was ostensibly assigned to the PT Boat Training Center in Rhode Island and later the Sub Chaser Training Center in Florida but actually spent most of his time in and out of hospitals. In October 1944 he was released from active duty due and medically retired in May 1945.

[AlexW]

Everyone on this thread seems to be jumping to conclusions
with this story.
I saw NOTHING in the article that says what caused the accident, or who was at the helm.
I think more information is needed before trashing the captain with all the cutesy and childish remarks.

[DesertRhino]

Silly comment. Field modifications happened all over the place in WWII. Especially to add firepower punch. And only a dandy would suggest that in a chaotic night battle, in a black sea, loud aircraft engines rumbling behind you, that it was a criminal offense to get rammed by a destroyer.

PT’s were trying to get close in those day. It mattered to stop the Jap convoys headed into the Solomons. The torpedoes werent the best. And sometimes it got dangerous to be that close. Modern Navy types are unequipped to stand in judgement.