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USS PORT ROYAL aground off of Honolulu International Airport


Salvage Sailor
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It certainly doesn't look well for the captain, but maybe not. Remember, Chester Nimitz did the same thing when he was a 22 year old Ensign. While in the Philippines, he ran the destroyer USS Decatur aground on a mudflat. He was court marshaled and received a letter of repremand. Of course, we all know what happed after that.

 

Steve

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It certainly doesn't look well for the captain, but maybe not. Remember, Chester Nimitz did the same thing when he was a 22 year old Ensign. While in the Philippines, he ran the destroyer USS Decatur aground on a mudflat. He was court marshaled and received a letter of repremand. Of course, we all know what happed after that.

 

Steve

 

Well, that was old school discipline with the idea that you learn from your mistakes. In today's military, there is only one mistake. If Nimitz was in today's military, he would of been a mister quicker than you could shake a potato masher....

 

-Ski

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What an incredible mess! The Honda Point photos look like the aftermath of a battle or an A Bomb test.

 

If you read up on the disaster, it was a big mess!!

 

-Ski

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Well, that was old school discipline with the idea that you learn from your mistakes. In today's military, there is only one mistake.
Too true, sadly. One of thing that got to me on active duty (Army) was the "zero defect" mentality. I saw people screw up doing simple things that really could have happened to almost anyone, and have their careers killed on the spot. I watched a Battalion XO being told to hand over his sidearm in the field and that was just on a CONUS "back 40" FTX. Not a good thing to even be within danger close for...
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collectsmedals

Here is the Battleship USS Missouri aground off Norfolk Harbor January 17, 1950. It took 16 fleet tugs, some harbor tugs, and other vessels to pull her off the mud. She was there for 16 days in full view from the shore. Missouri was proceeding seaward on a training mission from Hampton Roads. While running the deguassing range she ran aground at a point 1.6 miles from Thimble Shoals Light, near Old Point Comfort. She traversed shoal water a distance of three ship lengths from the main channel. Lifted some 7 feet above waterline, she struck hard and fast. With the aid of tugs, pontoons, and an incoming tide, she was refloated February 1, 1950. The Commanding Officer, Captain Brown was court martialled and placed

on shore duty where he would retire.

post-294-1235008302.jpg

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I was wondering if anyone was going to post about this.

 

The USN has been entering the channel to Pearl Harbor since the 1830's. Short of severe mechanical failure, I am sure the Captain will have some questions to answer.

 

I am surprised there are not a bunch of tourist boats around it snapping photos.

 

I haven't seen anything like this since that Russian spy ship came within Hawaii's territorial waters back in 1983, and could clearly bee seen from the beach hotels.

 

I remember those guys, they were still there in late '87 when I was there. Ah the Cold War, the good old days. w00t.gif

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El Bibliotecario

An irrelevant aside:

 

Too true, sadly. One of thing that got to me on active duty (Army) was the "zero defect" mentality. I saw people screw up doing simple things that really could have happened to almost anyone, and have their careers killed on the spot. I watched a Battalion XO being told to hand over his sidearm in the field and that was just on a CONUS "back 40" FTX. Not a good thing to even be within danger close for...

 

I believe we have Robt MacNamara to thank for much of that attitude, in that he thought DOD should be run like a business; i.e., 'zero defects.' Another thread on this forum recently mentioned that during MacNamara's military service he was a statistical analyst. Why am I not surprised?

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  • 2 months later...

A recent report from a San Diego newspaper: "The bill for the Port Royal, which ran aground Feb. 5 near Honolulu, is estimated at $163 million." The Navy is in a big cash crunch as it is, and these unscheduled repair bills really hurt.

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A recent report from a San Diego newspaper: "The bill for the Port Royal, which ran aground Feb. 5 near Honolulu, is estimated at $163 million." The Navy is in a big cash crunch as it is, and these unscheduled repair bills really hurt.

 

:blink: Wow, I never thought it was going to cost that much. Incredible.

 

-Ski

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