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U.S. Nuclear Sub and Japanese Cargo Ship Collide in Middle East
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U.S. sub, Japanese cargo ship collide in Middle East
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, January 10, 2007
A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine and a Japanese cargo ship collided in international waters in the Middle East on Monday, but no injuries or serious damage were reported, U.S. Navy and Japanese company officials said Tuesday.
The bow of the fast attack submarine USS Newport News collided with the stern of the Japanese oil tanker Mogamigawa near the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point for vessels transiting in and out of the Middle East, officials said.
The submarine was underwater when it collided with the Japanese vessel, though officials could not provide details such as its depth because the incident is under investigation, said Navy Lt. Denise Garcia, a spokeswoman with the Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain.
There were no injuries to any of the 127 officers and enlisted crewmembers or substantial damage to the submarine, which is based in Norfolk, Va.
Though the Mogamigawa sustained damage to a ballast tank — a reserve filled with water to keep vessels balanced — it did not prevent the tanker from sailing on its own, said Atsushi Takayama, a spokesman for the Tokyo-based Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd., the sea shipping company that manages the Mogamigawa.
The tanker sailed to the United Arab Emirates, where it will undergo an inspection and needed repairs, he said. It is expected to sail Wednesday to its intended destination of Singapore. The Mogamigawa was carrying a cargo of crude oil, none of which spilled into the sea, Takayama said. None of the 24 crewmembers was injured.
The Strait of Hormuz, between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, is a choke point that all transiting ships must go through, Garcia said. “You can imagine the traffic that flows through there,” she said.
There have been other collisions between U.S. vessels and commercial ships in the busy shipping lanes of the Persian Gulf, according to The Associated Press. In September 2005, a U.S. nuclear submarine collided with a Turkish cargo ship in the gulf. In July 2004, the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy collided with a dhow in the gulf.
On Feb. 9, 2001, the submarine USS Greenville rammed into and sunk the Japanese fishing trawler Ehime Maru off Hawaii, killing nine people and sparking tension and protests. The nuclear-powered submarine surfaced beneath the trawler while demonstrating an emergency surfacing maneuver for civilian guests aboard during a day trip.
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