| Submit your comments on this article |
| Science & Technology |
| Update on Grounded (Reefed) Minesweeper |
| 2013-01-30 |
| Unable to tow the minesweeper USS Guardian off a reef in the Philippines, the Navy has decided that the only way to free the ship without causing further damage to the reef is to cut the ship into pieces. The ship's wooden hull - covered in fiberglass That should be easier to cut up than steel - or maybe they could just hire some teredo worms - is punctured and parts of the ship have been flooded. As part of the salvage effort the 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel aboard the Guardian were transferred to a Malaysian tug contracted by the Navy. Other materials that might damage the reef have also been removed including : 671 gallons of lubricating oil; dry food stores; paints and solvents contained in storage lockers; and the crew's personal effects left behind on the ship. I wonder what interesting items turned up in the personal effects. A preliminary Navy review found that the digital chart the crew was using to navigate the ship incorrectly listed the reef's location by 8 miles. A review of additional charts created by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency found another navigational aberration off the coast of Chile. Both have been corrected. Not sure that will help the skipper get another command. |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #6 Why not break up the reef and save the ship? The damned reef will grow back. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2013-01-30 17:05 |
| #5 Seems like watch keepers might have noticed the breaking surf over green water in the middle of the ocean. Or maybe it was dark. Dunno. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2013-01-30 15:40 |
| #4 He's headed straight to a 2nd shift administrative position at the VA hospital in Twin Falls... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2013-01-30 13:05 |
| #3 A preliminary Navy review found that the digital chart the crew was using to navigate the ship incorrectly listed the reef's location by 8 miles. Pretty much what I figured. aside from the idiocy of working off electronic-only. Paper charts may be 'archaic', but there are/were regular chart update notices sent out. Congratulations, Skipper. You lost a ship and saved the Navy the hassle of breaking it up due to sequestration instead. I figure that's worth a Meritorious Service Medal. Maybe a White House mil-staff job as well. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-01-30 12:57 |
| #2 As with coral reefs, it's the mines you don't find that find you. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2013-01-30 11:34 |
| #1 Well skipper, sort of begs the question; if you can't find the bottom, how do find the..... |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-01-30 09:25 |