Navy commander relieved of command after running ship aground

San Diego Union-Tribune ^ | 28 Jul 08 | Steve Liewer

[GATOR NAVY]

SAN DIEGO – The skipper of the San Diego-based Pearl Harbor has been relieved of command after the amphibious landing-dock ship ran aground last week in the Persian Gulf, Navy officials said Monday.

Cmdr. Xavier Valverde has been reassigned to the staff of the Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain while the July 21 incident is investigated.

The Pearl Harbor apparently hit a shoal while conducting a well-deck drill off the coast of Kuwait, a Navy spokeswoman said. The ship backed off the sand bar without sustaining damage.

Valverde, a 26-year Navy veteran, took command of the Pearl Harbor in November. He was relieved over the weekend by Rear. Adm. Kendall Card, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3.

Capt. Mike Slotsky, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 9 in Everett, Wash., will oversee the ship temporarily.

The Pearl Harbor left San Diego on May 4 as part of the Peleliu amphibious assault group, which has been operating in the Persian Gulf for about a month.

[Non-Sequitur]

Why the heck does it take 391 sailors for that thing?

How many do you think it should take?

[Non-Sequitur]

I think you’re mistaken on that. The senior Captain Beach was in command of the USS Memphis when it ran aground in Santo Domingo. He retired in 1921, two years before the Honda Point fiasco.

[rmlew]

I have no idea. I'm just shocked that it takes 391 sailors to move 500 marines.
I thought that we would have more automation and not have WW2 manpower issues.

[Grampa Dave]

In the 1960’s a young Navy CO ran his wooden mine sweeper up on some rocks, and the boat was stuck on the rocks of our NE coast in a very rich sailing area.

Our ship and others came and tried to pull it off the rocks, but the wood would break off. Then, we had some fun getting the classified gear and stuff out and off the boat.

By this time the grounded boat had become a news item and an embarrassment to the Navy. We got orders to fire a couple of phosp shells into the ship at night, which we did. By daylight there wasn’t much left on the rocks a few smoking and burning small chunks.

The young minesweep CO knew what was coming his way and asked what he should do the next morning.

One of the rescue CO’s said very tersely: “Change your last name to Kennedy. Get adopted by the family and become a Mass. Senator and later president.”

[patton]

Hey Robert, check this thread out.

[editor-surveyor]

"This guy must have been asleep at the helm."

You think that the skipper was alone on the bridge?

My guess is that there is more to this than we know. Charts are frequently wrong, and depth sounders do have anomalies. As for GPS, I have gigabytes of raw data containing uncountable anomalies. You need to use all the data you have, all of the time if the mission is critical. Realtime GPS has never been approved to be used as a sole means of positioning. Post processing can fix all the bad data, but you can't post process a voyage.

[patton]

Yeah, but with that staff-to-customer ratio, it ought to be a four-star hotel.

[Knitebane]

Yeah, but with that staff-to-customer ratio, it ought to be a four-star hotel.

With an on-site fire department, hospital, laundry, machine shop and power plant.

[Chuckster]

I am not so quick to criticize.

“If you have never run aground, you are not a sailor” the saying goes. It can happen to anyone(Just ask Lee Hazelwood). Bars shift, charts can be inaccurate, currents can be tricky. In my case, attempting to sail into harbor after an engine failure, the wind died and the current took me onto the rocks. No harm done except to my pride. Fortunately, I wasn’t relieved of command d;^)

The Navy has its reasons for doing things their way. Probably just to keep ship’s Captains on their toes, they don’t give any slack. That is why we have the highly competent professional Navy that we do.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I thought that we would have more automation and not have WW2 manpower issues.

Hey, we like re-fighting WW2. It's our core competency. And against a WW2-level opponent like the Iraqi Army, we look great.

Against Russian bombers and Chinese submarines sneaking up on our carrier battle groups? Well, let's not discuss that. ;)

[trumandogz]

I ran a trawler aground in Louisiana during a new moon when a buoy light was out. However, in this case, I have not seen evidence of conditions that were beyond the control of the captain.

And yes, I will never forget the feeling of when I ran that boat aground. I can still feel that dead thud and sensation as we slid into the mud.

[trumandogz]

BTW-My mistake that night was no listening to another person on the crew who said “I don’t think that is the buoy light, I think it is some other light. It just looks a little distant.”

[patton]

I looked it up - an endeavor-class oil tanker has a crew of 20, eight of whom are officers.

It carries 1,000,000 barrells of oil.

Practically, they could slim that down, but not without violating work time rules. So the USCG insists on a minimum crew of 20.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Nimitz grounded his boat. Don’t think Burke did.

[alarm rider]

Yes, I think you are right. Being an AF type, I get my squids mixed up.

Thanks.

[GATOR NAVY]

For the sake of someone unfamiliar with Naval operations, could someone please explain what a well-deck drill is?

This type of ship is an LSD-a Landing Ship Dock. The entire aft part of the ship consists of a well deck that can be opened to sea by lowering a stern gate and flooding ballast tanks, lowering the ship in the water. Think of the well deck as a big floating dry dock. When it is flooded landing craft of different types can operated. This ship is designed specifically around the LCAC (Landing craft air cushion) but it can also launch LCU (landing craft utilty), LCM (landing craft mechinized) or AAV (amphibious assalt vehicles).

An LCAC preparing to enter the well deck of an LPD.

[GATOR NAVY]

Non-Sequitur is correct. The DESRON at Honda was named Watson.

[Old Student]

“CDR Valverde’s personal decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (one gold star), Navy Commendation Medal (one gold star), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (one gold star), National Defense Medal (one gold star), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, and Humanitarian Service Medal.”

And all his attaboys got wiped out by one “Aww........”

And with him, all mustangs get a bad rep.

[Old Student]

“I thought that we would have more automation and not have WW2 manpower issues.”

Someone else on this thread commented on never trusting the electronics. Add battle damage to that, and bear in mind that self-repairing ships are still science fiction, and maybe you’ll understand why it takes so many people. Someone has to patch the hole below the waterline while someone else fights the ship, and someone else drags the casualties to sickbay, among other things.

[Gondring]

hehe...good snippet