U.S. Cruiser Totaled By A Sand Bar

Strategy Page ^ | 3-17-09 | James Dunnigan

[Renfield]

The damage appears to much worse than initially thought, as a result of the USS Port Royal, an American cruiser, running aground on February 5th. The ship was returning to its base in Hawaii after the first day of sea trials. The ship slid into a shoal of sand and rock, which was actually construction debris from a nearby air port. The Port Royal had spent the last four months in a shipyard, getting a normal batch of upgrades and maintenance. The 9,600 ton ship has been in service for 15 years, and is the 27th, and last, Ticonderoga class cruiser to be built. It took four days to get the cruiser off the shoal, which was done by removing about a thousand tons of weight from the ship. It's not been announced how it hit the shoal, which is marked on charts. The Port Royal draws 33 feet of water, and the shoal is 22 feet under water. The captain of the Port Royal was relieved, which is normal for a grounding such as this.

Initially, he only damage mentioned was to the propellers (the tips were torn off), and a leak in one of the sonar domes. There was no hull breach. But even then, it was believed that the propeller shaft and shaft bearings would have to be replaced as well.

The actual damage turned out to be far worse. The drive shafts and the steel supporting them were twisted out of alignment as the ship was rocked back and forth. It's feared that this damage might be so bad that the drive shafts, reduction gears and engines might have to be replaced. This could cost tens of millions of dollars.

The sonar dome has to be replaced, and the hatches for some of the missile cells (silos) were also twisted out of alignment and have to be replaced. Some of the sensors and antennae on the main mast were twisted out of alignment by the shock of hitting the reef, and have to be repaired or replaced. Instruments and sensors on the bottom of the ship were destroyed or damaged by the grounding. The water exhaust and intake ports in the hull were jammed with debris, and have to be repaired or replaced (otherwise the sanitation, air conditioning and ballast systems will not work)

So after one day of sea trials, the Port Royal is right back to the shipyard and dry dock. The ship may be there for months, and the total cost for repairs may be over $50 million. There will probably be courts martial for whoever screwed up the navigation that put the ship on a known shoal. Professional mariners don't do that sort of thing in clear weather and calm seas.

[LibWhacker]

Hey, what’s everyone talkin’ about? The Captain isn’t toast. He was just taking his cue from 0bama and what that man’s trying to do to the ship of state. If you want to get ahead in this life, do what your boss is doing. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Carroll bumped up to the Joint Chiefs.

[TruthHound]

Pics & video:
http://loscuatroojos.com/2009/02/12/uss-port-royal-aground-in-hawaii-captain-is-toast/

[doorgunner69]

This is in a general anchorage area just outside the entrance to Pearl Harbor. Extremely well marked, but it goes from deep to shallow very fast.

Unknown if they had a harbor pilot on board or they screwed up on their own.

[Ramius]

Construction debris to me says material that’s harder than just sand. If it’s a man-made reef it might not be on the chart. Notice to Mariners might not have had it. Full crew complement? I don’t think we’re getting the whole story.

I agree. Without reading the official report, there's no way to know what really happened. News reports on such matters are absolutely untrustworthy. Just because some reporter says that something was marked on the charts doesn't mean they really were, or were marked in the right place or at the right depth, or whether there was something entirely unreported happening at the time that made it irrelevant to the real problem.

The Captain was relieved, as happens in this sort of thing, sometimes even if he wasn't truly at fault, he gets the blame. Usually, though, there's a few others that go down with him... the ops boss, the navigation officer, the quartermaster of the watch, the conning officer... those would've been the guys actually driving the ship and chances are the mistake(s) that caused this were theirs. The Captain often gets relieved not for what they do, but for what they don't do... for failing to stop somebody else from doing something stupid. I'd love to find out what happened, if the official report is released. It's hard to imagine how such a collossal error could happen, especially these days. The tools make it really easy any more. Maybe too easy?

[waud]

Replacing the reduction gears would make this near impossible. They’d have to rip the ship in half just to get access. Those things are huge.

[Publius6961]

It's not been announced how it hit the shoal, which is marked on charts.

My BS meter is twitching...

Another example of potentially 100% accurate but also 100% useless.

Marked on charts?
When? After the event?

Charts available to the Department of the Navy? To the DOD?
To the crew of the USS Port Royal?

Who is tasked to keep these charts current?
The captain?
The Pentagon?
Some lowest-ranked sailor?

Will there be a Court Martial?
If not, why not?
Will the procedings ever be made public?

I am afraid this story is just beginning...

If the buck stops here; I assume obama will be suspended pending explanations of the bailout mess? Before the facts are known.

[Ronin]

He is. At the very least his career is over and at the very best he will be allowed to retire quietly.

[A.A. Cunningham]

090219-N-4003L-002 PEARL HARBOR (Feb. 19, 2009) The guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) sits in drydock at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard as it is readied for repairs following the Feb. 5 grounding about a half-mile south of Honolulu Airport. An assessment of the ship and the repair efforts needed are ongoing. The ship entered drydock Feb. 18. (U.S. Navy photo by Michael F. Laley/Released)

090219-N-4003L-003 PEARL HARBOR (Feb. 19, 2009) The guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) sits in drydock at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard as it is readied for repairs following the Feb. 5 grounding about a half-mile south of Honolulu Airport. An assessment of the ship and the repair efforts needed are ongoing. The ship entered drydock Feb. 18. (U.S. Navy photo by Michael F. Laley/Released)

090219-N-4003L-001 PEARL HARBOR (Feb. 19, 2009) The guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) sits in drydock at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard as it is readied for repairs following the Feb. 5 grounding about a half-mile south of Honolulu Airport. An assessment of the ship and the repair efforts needed are ongoing. The ship entered drydock Feb. 18. (U.S. Navy photo by Michael F. Laley/Released)

090207-N-0000X-007 PEARL HARBOR (Feb. 7, 2009) The Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) takes a starboard list as the USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) tries to free the ship after it ran aground Feb. 5 about a half-mile south of the Honolulu airport while off-loading personnel into a small boat. The salvage ship USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52), which included an embarked detachment of Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 personnel, the Motor Vessel Dove, and seven Navy and commercial tugboats freed Port Royal off a shoal on Feb. 9. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)

[Oztrich Boy]

Or the US Navy could train its officers to understand what "green and white water" means

[Ramius]

Curious... what’s up with that starboard prop? It looks really odd to me... the blade is backward? Presuming that it’s a right-hand prop... it should be mounted the other way? If it is a left-hand turn, then it’s even stranger...

Unless there’s been a pretty major shift in engineering lately?

Any help with that?

The Port prop is hard to make out under the tarps. But in any case they really messed up those blades. Ouch... they hit pretty hard.

[Ramius]

Also... while I can’t make out the config on those props exactly, it would appear on first impression that they were backing when they struck ground.

[Clioman]

I’m thinking this is not the best way to create stimulus packages for shipyards.

[chainsaw]

Wait till Barney Frank hears about this!

He’s busy chasing Tutu Rahm!

[ASOC]

Google Earth fails to show the area -wonder why?

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Honolulu++airport+map&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=Il3ASeSLOqCSsQOpjcUv&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

[Rummenigge]

There’s electronic charting available on a Ticonderoga Class Cruiser.

The ships position is fixed by a GPS fed system with more then one reciever.

There’s also Papermaps as a cross check.

There’s radar to make a fix automatically.

The 1 or the skipper are responsible for a good trip planning - routes are fixed before the trip, all lights and signals are known - dangers are marked on the chart - relevant frequencies noted etc.

Maybe it’s the same sotry as with these japanese fisher boats and the los Angeles class submarine - some important contractors had a go on the bridge - the US navy might become a themepark for VIPs... that’s one way to pay for an economic crisis.

[rabidralph]

LOL! Now, that’s funny!

[Renfield]

There’s just no substitute for time spent on the water...especially lots of time spent in small boats that operate in a major shipping lane, surrounded by mega-ships.

I spent a number of years fishing (recreationally) in the Chesapeake Bay (much of it right outside of Annapolis, as it happens). I’d wager that 99% of the folks I ever shared a cockpit with had more boat-sense than the average Middie.

[Jonah Hex]

Bottom line, she's going to take a lot of work to make her operational for fleet duties. But give our engineers and shipyards credit: they turn out miracles every day.

Remember the San Francisco after she encountered the seamount at speed? After making it to the surface and back to port (which was dicey BTW, with the bow sonar array crushed, forward hull twisted, and forward MBTs opened to the sea), a lot of folks were willing to write her off. She's now scheduled to return to the fleet this spring after getting a new bow, donated from her sister decommissioned boat Honolulu.

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee,
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

[Travis McGee]

At least in the Navy, unlike Congress, when leaders screw up they are canned.

[astyanax]

Good point.
Accountability?!
In D.C.?!
I’ll hold my breath... ;o)