USS Port Royal grounding details emerge

Post Date July 12, 2009
Comments 0 Comments
Author
Category Accidents, Environmental Impacts, Ke Awalau o Pu'uloa / Pearl Harbor

Posted on: Sunday, July 12, 2009

Navy ship grounding detailed

By William Cole
Advertiser Columnist

Here are a few more details of the Feb. 5 grounding of the guided missile cruiser Port Royal in 14 to 22 feet of water off Honolulu International Airport’s reef runway.

The Advertiser ran a story Tuesday about the grounding circumstances based on the Navy’s Safety Investigation Board findings on the accident.

The 567-foot ship was under way at 8:45 a.m. on its first day of sea trials after $18 million in repairs in the shipyard. The fathometer, for determining water depth, was broken, according to the safety board.

At 12:01 p.m., the Voyage Management System’s primary input at the chart table was shifted from a forward Global Positioning System to forward Ring Laser Gyro Navigation.

The Voyage Management System, a digital navigation system that does away with paper charts, dead-reckoned the ship three times and replotted the Port Royal 1.5 miles from its previous position. Ring Laser Gyro is an inertial navigator.

Ship logs indicate a position error between GPS and the Ring Laser Gyro for the duration of the ship’s time at sea. The Voyage Management System plotting was based on the inertial navigation and not the required GPS, and the error was not noted by any watchstanders, the report states.

“The quartermaster of the watch continued to plot fixes as satellite fixes when (Voyage Management System) was aligned to receive (Ring Laser Gyro) input,” the safety board said. “The bridge team did not recognize the input difference on the (Voyage Management System) display, and relied on VMS without question.”

The report said that when the input was switched, the Voyage Management System “indicated numerous positional difference alarms that were not addressed.”

Why or how the navigation system was changed is not addressed in the report, which notes a 3,600- to 3,700-yard ship position shift to the east.

That evening, small boats were operated to return aviation assessors to shore.

At about 8:03 p.m., the Port Royal was soft aground, with its bow’s underwater sonar dome on the reef, the report said.

The safety board report said there were several factors that led to a Ring Laser Gyro position error, including no evidence of a 72-hour calibration, and the fact that the last reset was four days earlier, meaning the system was not getting new GPS data. There was a “large position error” with the GPS interface not enabled, the report said.

The board, however, rejected navigation equipment error as the cause of the mishap.

“Other means were available to assess the ship’s position,” the report said. Those included “distinct visual aids” such as the airport control tower. Or, as one commentator on the earlier Advertiser story put it: “There is no substitute for the Mark One Eyeball.”

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090712/COLUMNISTS32/907120367/Navy+ship+grounding+detailed

Repairs to reef damaged by Navy ship proceed

Post Date April 28, 2009
Comments 0 Comments
Author
Category Environmental Impacts

Posted on: Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Repairs to Hawaii reef damaged by Navy ship enter new phase

Divers will collect coral displaced by grounded Navy ship
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Divers today are expected to begin collecting coral colonies that survived the Feb. 5 grounding of the USS Port Royal and temporarily store them in a safe area until they can be returned to the damaged reef.

Up to 10 civilian divers have been contracted by the Navy to collect and relocate the coral displaced by the grounding off the Honolulu International Airport’s Reef Runway. The Port Royal ran aground Feb. 5 and was freed four days later, but not before the 9,600-ton guided missile cruiser caused “substantial” damage to the reef, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

State officials told the Navy that they intend to file a full claim against the Navy to cover the cost of mitigating further damage to the reef, the value of the coral reef substrate damaged, attempts to free the Port Royal, and other damage to the reef ecosystem. The state and Navy have since developed a four-phase, multimillion-dollar plan to restore the coral reef.

The first two phases have been completed. The first phase involved Navy divers who did emergency work to reattach dozens of coral colonies and move large rocks to deeper water to prevent them from causing more harm.

Phase II began in early March and involved a contractor, hired by the Navy, to survey and assess conditions on the seabed where the 567-foot warship ran aground. The study found about 7,600 square yards of rubble that may have been created when the ship hit the reef.

The third phase is scheduled to begin today and involve the collection of the surviving coral. DLNR said the coral will be stored offshore and will be reattached in the damaged area at a later date.

In Phase IV, the rubble will be scooped off the ocean floor and transferred to a barge. The debris will be brought to shore and “put to further use,” the state said.

Rear Adm. Joseph Walsh, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said the Navy is moving as quickly as possible to prevent further damage to the reef. He said seasonally high surf from the south is expected in mid-May and could pose a risk to divers and workers.

Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairwoman, said she appreciated the Navy’s “timely” response to moving the living coral and removing the loose coral rubble.

“The actions we have agreed to are the next step in our continuing response to the impacts of the grounding,” Thielen said in a statement. “In particular, the action to remove rubble is critical to prevention of further damage to the reef. The state believes future steps will involve identifying projects that can restore the damaged reef and compensate for the loss of coral reef resources.”

The Port Royal’s grounding came on the first day of sea trials following $18 million in repairs and refurbishment.

The ship remains in dry dock and the Navy said it may revise its initial damage estimates of $25 million to $40 million.

Capt. John Carroll was temporarily relieved of his command of the Port Royal and reassigned to the Pacific Fleet staff.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090428/NEWS08/904280351

State seeks damages from Navy for USS Port Royal reef damage

Post Date April 01, 2009
Comments 0 Comments
Author
Category Accidents, Environmental Impacts

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

State to seek claims against Navy for damage to reef off airport

Advertiser Staff

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said today it has formally notified the U.S. Navy that it has identified substantial coral reef damage caused by the grounding of the USS Port Royal in February.

DLNR said immediate measures are needed to stabilize injured coral and to prevent further damage by widespread debris to other areas of the reef.

DLNR said a letter sent to the Navy yesterday also documents the state’s intent to make a claim for damages that include: the cost of emergency mitigation to prevent further damage; the value of the coral reef substrate damaged by the grounding of the Port Royal and associated attempts to free the 567-foot-long vessel; and other secondary and tertiary damage to the reef ecosystem.

The state will be seeking compensation from the Navy to fund and implement coral habitat restoration projects that will enhance Hawaii’s reef systems and mitigate for loss of ecological services caused by the grounding of the vessel.

“While the state also intends to seek compensation from the U.S. Navy for any damage caused by the grounding incident, the first priority remains protection of the remaining coral reef resources,” said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairperson.

“We are asking the U.S. Navy to work with us to achieve the mutual goal of protection of the natural resources and minimization of ongoing damage to the same public trust resources,” Thielen said.

Thielen warned that costs will increase substantially unless the Navy acts to immediately mitigate the primary damage impacts by: assisting in the recovery of injured coral; preventing further secondary damage by removing or stabilizing significant amounts of damaged coral rubble prior to the arrival of large south summer swells; and protecting loose live coral to prevent further damage to public trust resources, in coordination with the State and in compliance with emergency permitting requirements.

Officials from DLNR and the attorney general’s office will meet with Navy officials tomorrow.

On February 5, 2009, the Port Royal ran aground atop the coral reef fronting Honolulu International Airport’s Reef Runway in depths of approximately 14 to 22 feet. The vessel was lodged atop the reef for three full days during which several attempts were made to free it.

The area where the Port Royal ran aground was a complex “spur and groove” fringing reef (outcrops of coral interspersed with sandy areas) with a relatively high biodiversity of live coral and live rock, the state said. Numerous printed resources and the evaluation by various coral reef biologists concur that this area was one of the finest remaining reef habitats on the island of Oahu.

The main reef injury scar covers an estimated area of approximately 8,000 square meters. The documentation of the full area and extent of the damage associated with the grounding has not been completed, but it is estimated to cover an area of approximately 25,000 to 40,000 square meters

“The reef that was injured is an ancient one, full of coral colonies some of which took hundreds of years to reach their present size. A complex reef structure such as the one that was present prior to this injury forms numerous and intricate houses for the myriad of fish, invertebrates and sea turtles that use this reef for shelter and food resources,” Thielen said.

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090401/BREAKING/90401076

Video shows reef damaged by USS Port Royal

Post Date March 14, 2009
Comments 0 Comments
Author
Category Environmental Impacts

Check out this video of the damage to the reef caused by the grounded USS Port Royal.  Pulverized.

http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/15031/40/

New Video Shows Reef Damaged by Navy Cruiser

Written by Brooks Baehr – bbaehr@kgmb9.com

March 13, 2009 06:36 PM

Local divers have given KGMB9 viewers what the U.S. Navy and State Department of Land and Natural Resources have refused to supply. The divers took video of coral colonies pulverized by the missile cruiser U.S.S. Port Royal when in ran aground in February.

Kirby Fukunaga is an avid free diver. He frequently fishes off Honolulu International Airport’s reef runway. Fukunaga has documented the GPS coordinates of coral colonies just outside restricted military zones. Fish tend to congregate around the colonies making those spots fertile fishing grounds.

“There’s a lot a lot of flat grounds, but once and a while you come onto a really big reef structure where it holds all the fish,” Fukunaga said.

The Port Royal was stuck on the ocean floor there for more than three days. After it was pulled free Fukunaga and friends went fishing.

He told KGMB9 he was surprised to find the reef had suffered extensive damage.

“It didn’t look like coral, but I guess that was the coral. Just like rubble.” Fukunaga said.

Fukunaga said he is sure the bits and pieces of coral he was looking used to be a thriving coral cluster.

“Yea, I’m sure I got the right spot. I dive there all the time,” he said.

Coral is not rock or plant. Coral is an animal.

Kyle Nakamoto, who joined Fukunaga on a recent dive and video taped the damage, told KGMB9 coral has been killed and the ecosystem has been disrupted.

“In this situation wiping out the homes of a lot of fish. (They) have to relocate … find new homes. It definitely has an impact on the marine life,” Nakamoto said.

The Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club has made a formal request to the state for photographs, video, and reports documenting the damage, but Friday said it has yet to receive a reply.

“You have to remember that the state has an obligation to enforce the rules and restrictions about damaging coral reefs and we want to make sure they are doing their job,” said Robert Harris, Director of the Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Harris said the state has fined private businesses for damaging coral reefs and he believes it should fine the Navy.

“I mean there has to be a deterrent. If someone damages our natural resources, we should go after them,” he added.

Shortly after the Port Royal was pulled off the reef the State Department of Land and Natural Resources announced plans to save as much coral as possible by re-attaching it to the ocean floor. A spokesperson told KGMB9 that work is far from finished.

The spokesperson said the state will seek compensation from the Navy.

Stranded Navy ship severely damaged coral reef

Post Date February 20, 2009
Comments 1 Comment
Author
Category Accidents, Environmental Impacts, Ke Awalau o Pu'uloa / Pearl Harbor

The two Navy photos below show the damage to the USS Port Royal. In the first photo, the sonar dome is ripped open and scrapes mar the new high tech anti-fouling blue paint.  The bottom photo shows where propeller blades were sheared off.

In the following photograph by Floyd Morris for the Honolulu Star Bulletin, you can see how close the stranded ship was to recreational and subsistence fishing areas.  The Navy now admits to having dumped 7000 gallons, not 5000 gallons as previously reported, of raw sewage without notifying public health officials.

www.starbulletin.com

Extensive coral reef damage revealed in ship’s grounding

The Navy had previously said that the site consisted only of sand and rocks

By Gregg K. Kakesako

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 20, 2009

State and Navy divers have determined that the $1 billion warship USS Port Royal damaged a coral reef when it ran aground half a mile south of the Honolulu Airport’s reef runway earlier this month.

“Although initial reports indicated that the ship had grounded on a rock and sand bottom, our subsequent surveys have shown that there is in fact coral reef,” said Department of Land and Natural Resources Director Laura Thielen in a joint news release with the Navy. “Divers from our Division of Aquatic Resources are now working in cooperation with counterparts from the Navy to ensure that no further damage occurs, and to map the full extent of the grounding scar.”

The Navy also faces the possibility of hefty fines since coral is protected by state and federal laws. Deborah Ward, DLNR spokeswoman, said it is “premature” to talk about fines until the joint state-Navy investigation is completed and reviewed by state attorneys. Last year, DLNR fined a Maui tour boat company $550,000 for damaging coral in the waters of Molokini islet.

In addition, the Navy says now that 7,000 – not 5,000 – gallons of waste water were dumped while the ship was aground Feb. 5-9 to prevent it from backing up and endangering the crew.

State and Navy divers will spend another week moving debris from the grounding area to deeper water and reattaching large pieces of coral.

The Navy had originally failed to tell the state and public about the waste-water discharge, even though two Health Department officials attended a meeting with Navy officials at Pearl Harbor on Feb. 8.

The Navy said the waste water consisted mostly of sea water, used to flush waste.

“Keep in mind that while the ship was aground for those 78 hours, the Navy was concerned foremost about the safety of the crew, freeing the ship and minimizing damage to the environment,” said Rear Adm. Joseph Walsh, deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet. “We regret this unintentional grounding, and we are glad that we were able to refloat the ship without injury to the crew while minimizing environmental harm.”

The dumping took place on Feb. 6 after a Navy barge was unable to transfer the waste water and fuel from the 9,600-ton guided-missile cruiser because of rough seas. The Navy said the Port Royal’s crew made every effort to mitigate the effects, including shutting off water to showers and sinks to minimize the released amounts.

The Port Royal was taken to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard’s dry dock on Wednesday for repairs. When the grounding occurred, the vessel had begun sea trials after spending six months in the shipyard undergoing $18 million of repairs, maintenance work and repainting.

Although there has been no official damage report or estimate on the cost to repair the cruiser, Walsh has said that water leaked into the sonar dome located below the bow. Also, several of the 10 propeller blades were sheared off.

Photos released by the Navy show scrapes along the hull and at least five blades missing.

Initially, the Navy insisted the area where the ship ran aground in 20 feet of water consisted mainly of rocks and sand.

State and Navy divers from Pearl Harbor’s Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 have been in the water since Feb. 12, tagging and replacing broken coral blocks.

The divers concentrated this week on mapping and photographing the extent of the damage to identify coral colonies that might be reattached to the reef using quick-setting cement.

Thielen said the department developed undersea survey and mapping techniques from two groundings in 2005: the Cape Flattery at Barbers Point and the Casitas at Pearl and Hermes reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Navy and state divers also are noting the locations of detached reef blocks or other debris that might roll in the surf and cause additional damage to the reef over time.

These are being removed by Navy divers and disposed of at a deep-water site approved by the state.

The removed rocks range from 2 to 5 feet in diameter.

The Navy has not decided the fate of Capt. John Carroll, Port Royal’s commander, or any of the sailors who were on watch on the ship’s bridge at the time of the grounding.

Amphibious Assault Vehicle Sinking off Waimanalo

Post Date January 15, 2009
Comments 0 Comments
Author
Category Uncategorized

Here are several archived news stories about the Marine Corps Amphibious Assault vehicle that sank off Waimanalo. The original URLs and videos are no longer available for two of the stories:

http://archives.starbulletin.com/content/20090114_Newswatch
POSTED: Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Marines look into vehicle’s sinking

The Marines are investigating what caused a $2 million amphibious vehicle to sink about 160 yards off Bellows Beach during a training exercise on Monday.

No one was injured during the incident, which occurred at 6:30 p.m.

Maj. Alan Crouch, a Marine spokesman, said the tracked vehicle was carrying three Marines at the time. It was one of seven vehicles taking part in the exercise.

A release from the Marine Corps Base Hawaii said a combat assault company’s assault amphibian platoon was conducting scheduled water operations when it encountered a swell about 1,200 yards offshore.

The 46,000-pound AAV or assault amphibian vehicle began taking on water and lost power while attempting to reach the shore, the statement said.

The three Marines onboard were safely evacuated to another assault vehicle participating in the exercise.

As a safety precaution an oil spill containment boom was placed around the area where the vehicle sank in 15 feet of water.

Navy salvage divers were to return to the area today to determine how to raise the sunken vehicle. Marine Corps officials hope to refloat the vehicle and send it the Barstow Marine Corps Logistical Base in California for repairs.

The 131/2-foot-long vehicles, capable of carrying 25 passengers and a crew of three, are used by Marines to move from ship to shore. It has a maximum speed of 45 mph on land and 8 mph in the water.

>><<

From KHON:

Salvaging an Assault Amphibian Vehicle

By Ron Mizutani

Story Updated: Jan 14, 2009 at 6:22 PM HST

A diving and salvage unit from Marine Corps Base Hawaii returned to Bellows Wednesday to recover an Assault Amphibian Vehicle that sank Monday night. But is there more to the story than what’s being shared by the military?

Sources told KHON2 diesel fuel leaked from the A-A-V but those in charge of the salvage project say that’s not true.

As divers prepped salvage equipment at Bellows, beach goers watched with interest and questions.

“There’s an offshore reef which is about probably 300 yards out and I always wondered whether there was a puka that they came through that was set aside for them to come through or whether they were just hoping that they wouldn’t hit it when they came in,” said Tom Holowach of Kailua.

Monday night, marines did the latter. The incident happened about 6:30 during water operations — similar to these exercises in 2002. According to military officials, a wave hit the AAV about 12-hundred yards offshore causing it to strike the reef. The vehicle started taking on water and lost power while attempting to reach the shoreline. It sank less than 175 yards from shore. All three marines escaped injury.

“So they pulled another vehicle along side it, moved all the personnel and gear to the other vehicle and attempted to hook up to tow but the vehicle was under water,” said Commander Christopher Kim of Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

“No fuel is emitting from the vehicle and we have been diving on it through out yesterday and today and continue to monitor and she’s pretty much intact,” said Gordon Olayvar of the Federal Conservation Law Enforcement.

But sources close to the investigation say an unknown amount of diesel leaked from the vehicle. Environmental watchdog Carroll Cox received a similar tip.

“I received a call saying there is diesel fuel being emitted — didn’t tell me the volume of the quantity,” said Cox.

“Obviously one of the things of concern for us is fuel making sure that the fuel is contained,” said Olayvar.

Cox says residents should not be satisfied.

“No we should not be,” said Cox. “The concern I have is a boom is placed here and if you look at it the way its configured — that’s not going to serve any purpose — it should be completed contained. I don’t believe that the military has been as transparent in this situation as they should be.”

Crews expect to recover the A-A-V Wednesday night. The state will then determine if there’s been any reef impact.

>><<
Marines Attempt to Re-Float Amphibious Vehicle
Written by KGMB9 News – news@kgmb9.com
January 15, 2009 06:39 PM

A complicated recovery project is going on in Waimanalo.

A team of marines is trying to re-float a 28-ton amphibious assault vehicle from a reef off Bellows Beach.

That’s where it sank on Monday, after a wave knocked it over.

Wednesday, crews tried to float the tank and tow it to shore.

But they had to go back Thursday and had better luck.

It took a few hours to get it off the sea floor.

The Marines are towing it in right now.

 OpenCUNY » login | join | terms | activity 

 Supported by the CUNY Doctoral Students Council.  

OpenCUNY.ORGLike @OpenCUNYLike OpenCUNY

false