Out of the way! Incoming! (II)

Another sub that hits in the middle of the ocean. A few months ago it was France and the UK. Now it is the turn for tow American ships: the sub USS Hartford and the amphibious vessel USS New Orleans. Both are part of US Navy V Fleet.

In a brief note, the Navy explains that the incident happened because of still unknown reasons around 1 a.m. (local time) near the Strait of Hormuz. This is, near Iran. At least 15 crew members of the sub were injured but all of them are already back on duty. The ship crew didn’t suffer any losses, but 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel went into the sea.

This is not the first incident where the USS Hartford is involved. In 2003, in an almost comic story, the disorientated crew of the submarine drove it aground in front of Sardinia’s coast. The damages put the vessel on the drydock for several months and it cost more than $9m in repairs. Two officials were dismissed.

As well yesterday, an F-22 Raptor crashed early in the morning in California. The incident took place in the desert, around 10 miles northeast from Edwards Air Base (the same used by the space shuttle for landing). The pilot didn’t manage to eject and died shortly after the crash. The USAF quickly moved into the area and restricted the access to anyone because, as they said in a note, there could be “hazardous” material around

There are investigations going on around both incidents.


Photo: USAF