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Canada’s last destroyer is temporarily sidelined after a series of engine problems and other technical issues on the 43-year-old vessel caused senior navy leaders to worry the ship might not be able to continue operating. HMCS Athabaskan, the flagship of the country’s Atlantic fleet, is undergoing a series of repairs in Halifax, according to Royal Canadian Navy documents leaked to Postmedia. Earlier this year, the ship broke down in Florida because of engine problems. It later broke down in the Caribbean, again because of engine issues. HMCS Athabaskan sailors have contacted Postmedia to point out a litany of problems, including...

Navy ships head to sea to ride out Hurricane Isabel Associated Press © September 16, 2003 Last updated: 12:04 PM NORFOLK -- About 40 Navy ships and submarines began leaving bases in Virginia and New Jersey this morning to avoid potential damage from Hurricane Isabel. The ships will head out to sea to get north of the storm and then move east to maneuver around the hurricane, said Adm. Robert J. Natter, commander of the Norfolk-based Atlantic Fleet. Forecasters said Isabel, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, appeared to be on a course to hit Thursday on the North...

WASHINGTON (AFP) Sep 15, 2003 The US Navy was debating Monday whether to send the Atlantic Fleet out to sea to ride out a powerful hurricane that is expected to hit the US east coast later this week, a US navy spokesman said. About 70 US navy ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were in southeastern US ports threatened by Hurricane Isabel, a category four storm packing 240 kilometer (150 mile) per hour winds. "What they're doing is looking at the storm's track, looking at the storm's speed, trying to see what decision makes the most sense," said...

Business suffers as war empties huge U.S. base By Tim McGlone NORFOLK, Va., March 31 (Reuters) - At Nick's On The Boulevard, the first tavern just past Gate 2 of Norfolk Naval Station, about 25 people, mostly sailors, linger around the bar or shoot pool in the back. A sign out front states, "USA All The Way. Saddam Insane." On a typical night before the war with Iraq, the crowd would be much larger with two waitresses working the floor. One bartender and a cook can handle the crowd now. "It's been kind of slow, especially at night," said Melva...