THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 6, 1996 TAG: 9602060268
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: MANAMA, BAHRAIN LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
A U.S. Navy frigate collided Monday with a cargo ship that was being inspected for contraband Iraqi fruit, injuring two American sailors and two other people, the Navy reported.
The cargo ship Ya Alimadad was following the Long Beach, Calif.-based Ford in the northern Persian Gulf at a distance of about 150 feet when it collided with the warship, the 5th Fleet said in a communique.
The accident occurred while the cargo ship was being escorted to a ``holding area'' after it was found to be carrying dates believed to have been loaded in Iraq in violation of U.N. sanctions, the Navy said.
Two U.S. Navy sailors and two of the Ya Alimadad's crewmen were injured. Names of the injured were not released. An American who suffered an ankle injury and a Ya Alimadad crewman with a pelvic injury were flown to Bahrain for treatment. The other American and crewman sustained minor injuries and were treated aboard the Ford.
The collision occurred about 100 miles north of Bahrain and left minor dents in the Ford's stern.
The frigate is part of a U.S. flotilla enforcing the U.N. sanctions against Iraq, imposed after it invaded Kuwait in 1990.
KEYWORDS: US NAVY ACCIDENT INJURIES by CNB