Posted on 02/18/2014 1:12:28 PM PST by gandalftb
The guided-missile frigate USS Taylor, one of two ships on deployment in the Black Sea, is being inspected for damage after running aground last week as it was preparing to moor in Samsun, Turkey, a spokesman for the U.S. 6th Fleet said Tuesday.
The Taylor was able to moor without further incident, and there were no injuries, said 6th Fleet spokesman Lt. Shawn Eklund.
The incident, which occurred on Feb. 12, is under further investigation, Eklund said.
The Taylor and the USS Mount Whitney, an amphibious command ship and the 6th Fleet flagship, entered the Black Sea on Feb. 4 on what the Navy said was a routine and pre-scheduled deployment to the region.
The Pentagon announced their planned deployment in January, after terrorist groups threatened to disrupt the Olympic Games in Sochi, the resort town on Russia’s Black Sea coast.
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
Have there ever been any cases where a ship’s pilot has intentionally run the ship aground in order to end a captains’ career?
I’d be willing to be there has, but you’ll have a devil of a time getting someone to admit it.
They were in short water, preparing to moor. And not all groundings are the same. Bumping up and into a mud bank isn't quite the same as on some well charted rock, or gross negligence in navigation & operations.
Not a uniformed navy story, but while employed on a trawler on the West Coast, when swinging a wide circle to approach a particular wharf nearer to the back-end of the bay (vessels of the draft I was on, not being able to go much further than the proximity we were at, the channel going on from there not having been dredged since WWII) the boat owner bumped the boat onto a 'bar' of mud. Being able to back off of it -- what did he do, but instead off backing far enough away to be able to then go forward, powering around to turn the boat, runs all but straight back up into the groove we'd just been able to back out of.
When we got to the dock and were passing lines over to a couple of guys who had seen the whole thing (one guy --an old salt who owned the wharf) I had a paper bag over my head "the unknown crewman". Me? You didn't see me on this boat.
Coming out of the wheelhouse, the boat owner saw me in the get up and laughed. He was a good guy that way, even if the joke was on him, he could see the humor.
A passing boat pulled the Decatur off the next day. Nimitz turned himself in and was court martialed.
THAT is character.
CO (Commanding Officer) would have been on the bridge—they were pulling into port. OOD (Officer of the Deck), and Navigator, and possibly XO will fry too.
Have there ever been any cases where a ship’s pilot has intentionally run the ship aground in order to end a captains’ career?
Exactly.. thats where I was going with that..
you would think so.
Plus... I bet we just upgraded our undersea map of the Black Sea
Patrick O’Bryan fan?
Certainly, but way beyond that. He got most of his material from the Naval Chronicles and they are available online. I have read them all and continue to recycle through them.
Taylor was pulling into the port of Samsun, Turkey. That port seems to be tricky—a US Destroyer almost grounded there a few years back, then USS Barry (DDG-52) actually did, now Taylor. Skipper will get fired as usual—the risk goes with the job. Lessons Learned will come out, and we’ll find out how hosed up things were on the bridge that day.
It's been many years since I've seen a copy, but I seem to remember this was a maneuver discussed in the old Naval Shiphandling by Crenshaw.
Norfolk-based Navy ship runs aground in Black Sea port
For those who are interested: Chart 55161 Samsun and Approaches
The finest tobacco grown comes from this region. Black Sea Samsun Turkish... The crop must be in serious jeopardy! SARC>
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