Enterprise grounded

[HooverPilot]

WAVY News 10 has learned the USS Enterprise was involved in an incident Sunday in Hampton Roads which rendered it dead in the water.

Navy officials say the ship was pulling out of the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard Sunday and came too close to a sand bar as the tugs were turning it around.

The aircraft carrier sucked sand and silt into its condensers - equipment that helps power the ship.

The system automatically shut down.

A spokesman saying if it hadn't shutdown, it would have been equivalent to putting sand in your car's gas tank, it could have blown out the engines.




http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=3960557&nav=23ii

 

[jamnww]

Well that just reenforces the view of the almighty US Navy...well anyway, obviously someone is going to get a bad fitrep for it...

 

[kmac]

Because the CO of the Enterprise has steering control over the tugs? So is the Ike going to take its place for ops? Hmmm....

 

[jamnww]

Because the CO of the Enterprise has steering control over the tugs? So is the Ike going to take its place for ops? Hmmm....

Well someone is gonna get in some trouble for it, even if they are a civilian...

 

[kmac]

Or several civilians...concur. I'm curious as to the details/factors contributing to this mishap.

 

[mules83]

There are three situations where the CO of a carrier would not be held responsible if the ship ran aground (in dry dock, .....). I learned them in one of my NROTC classes but forgot. Maybe Steve can fill it in.

 

[jamnww]

I'm curious as to the details/factors contributing to this mishap.

I bet it had something to do with the gravitational pull of the lunar shift differential...ok, yeah I have no idea... I agree it will be interesting to see what they find...

 

[redmariner97]

Sun spots.

 

[gregsivers]

You're all wrong, had to be al Quada(sp?) divers.

 

[jamnww]

You're all wrong, had to be al Quada(sp?) divers.

Yeah, I heard they spent weeks moving the sandbar just for that reason...their next goal is to completely blockade Norfolk with a sandbar...

 

[PropStop]

I bet it was Greenpeace!

 

[MIDNJAC]

There are three situations where the CO of a carrier would not be held responsible if the ship ran aground (in dry dock, .....). I learned them in one of my NROTC classes but forgot. Maybe Steve can fill it in.

yes, that is correct....just learned that last week in class. The CO is only not responsible for the ship when going either through the Panama Canal, or a drydock.

 

[fc2spyguy]

Okay, I'm going off of my experiences from ship and the little thing they call NSI. The OOD is in charge of telling the tugs what to do. So if the OOD tells the forward tug to push light and the bow ends up running aground then well, that's the OOD's fault. Of course through the COC it ends up being th CO and others that take the brunt of the blame, but you all know that much and I don't need to go into it.

Bottom line is that the tugs are under the control of the ship and are not on their own.

 

[ea6bflyr]

It's not the First time the Big-E has run aground (assuming the story is true). I was onboard in OCT of 1985, when we ran into Bishop's Rock off of San Diego. There was a HUGE 50 foot gash in the side of the ship. It also ran aground during it's return from Westpac 1982.

ea6bflyr
(and yes, I know I am OLD)

 

[HAL Pilot]

I'm going off of my experiences from ship and the little thing they call NSI. The OOD is in charge of telling the tugs what to do.....Bottom line is that the tugs are under the control of the ship and are not on their own.

As a former Sea and Anchor OOD on a CVN, the Harbor Pilot (River Pilot in this case?) is telling the tugs what to do directly through a hand-held radio. The OOD or Conning Officer never talks to them - they talk to the helm and leehelm. Even than, they are usually just parroting the Pilot's "suggestions".

That being said, if the ship is found at fault, the CO, OOD, Conning Officer and Navigator will all probably go down.

What you said might be true on the small boys. Steve will have to chime in there.