The U.S. Navy has been plagued by a string of accidents, has experienced a recent setback when a U.S.Navy vessel was damaged after it was being loaded on a heavy lift vessel for further repairs.
What happened?
The USS Fitzgerald which was already involved in a deadly accident earlier this year when it collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan, killing seven American service members. It was towed to deep sea to be loaded onto a heavy lift vessel ‘Transshelf’ for further repairs.
On November 24, as the vessel was being loaded on the heavy lift vessel, the Fitzgerald sustained two punctures to her hull from the Transshelf’s steel support structure during load at anchorage. The mission was abandoned and the vessel was towed to Yokosuka, Japan.
Statement released:
The U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement, “Repairs are expected to extend the on-load process by a few days, after which Transshelf will transport Fitzgerald to Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi, for further repairs and upgrades”.
Commander Clay Doss, a spokesman for the U.S. 7th Fleet, said, “Loading a U.S. Navy ship onto a heavy lift vessel and securing it for transport is a complex process—lots of preparation and engineering goes into it. Immediate focus is on patching the damage and securing Fitzgerald for safe transport”.
The Fitzgerald was already undergone minor repairs such as de-watering, de-fueling, hull and superstructure repairs and having key systems placed in lay-up maintenance before the accident.
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Source: News Week
