THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 18, 1996 TAG: 9605180270
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
The nuclear-powered submarine Jacksonville and a Saudia Arabian-flagged container ship collided in dense fog Friday morning off the Virginia Beach coast.
No injuries were reported to either crew. However, the merchant ship - the 657-foot Saudi Makkah - took on water through a 21-foot gash in its hull. The sub was traveling on the surface.
This was the third collision for the 15-year-old Jacksonville in the same vicinity in the past 14 years.
The latest accident occurred at 9:24 a.m., about six miles southeast of the Chesapeake Light Tower, the Navy said.
``Seas were calm with poor visibility in dense fog,'' said Lt. Cmdr. Greg Smith, a spokesman for the Submarine Forces Atlantic, headquartered in Norfolk.
The 360-foot Jacksonville was inbound after a training mission. The Saudi Makkah was outbound after loading container cargo in Newport News. The Navy characterized the sub's mission as independent ``refresher training.''
The submarine sustained limited damage on the starboard side, plus some damage to its upper rudder.
``There was no internal water leakage to the submarine and no damage to its propulsion plant,'' Smith said. The sub, commanded by Cmdr. John F. Yarbro Jr., carries a crew of 13 officers and 130 enlisted personnel.
The Saudi Makkah, with a crew of 30, reported damage to its port side at the water line near the stern and was taking on water, Smith said.
Crew members controlled the leak by ballasting the ship in order to keep the water out of the gash, said the Coast Guard.
The damage to both vessels may indicate that, rather than passing one another on a port-to-port course, the ships were maneuvering, or overtaking one another at the time. The Navy was unable to explain how the starboard side of the submarine and the port side of the merchant ship were damaged.
Neither vessel was in a channel, the Navy said.
``The Coast Guard did have a helicopter on scene and was in contact with her, but they reported the leakage under control,'' Smith aid.
The Coast Guard also sent two cutters, the Point Warde and Red Cedar, and two 41-foot patrol boats. However, neither vessel in the collision required assistance, and each sailed into Hampton Roads under its own power.
The Saudi Makkah docked at the Norfolk International Terminals for inspection. The Jacksonville sailed into the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth for repairs.
The Coast Guard and the Navy are investigating the collision.
In March 22, 1982, the Jacksonville was involved in its first collision, hitting a 510-foot Turkish freighter 25 miles east of Cape Charles. That incident happened about 9 p.m. while the submarine was heading out of port and the freighter, the General Z. Dogan, was inbound. The collision resulted in the freighter's bow striking the submarine with a glancing blow on its right side. The Jacksonville sustained scratches. The merchant ship damaged its bow and took on water briefly.
On Sept. 21, 1984, the Jacksonville collided with a 270-foot, three-section Navy barge at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. Again, there were no injuries, but the submarine sustained damage to its bow-mounted sonar dome. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS file
The nuclear-powered Jacksonville sustained limited damage on the
starboard side, plus some damage to its upper rudder. No injuries
were reported.
Map
VP
This was the third collision for the 15-year-old Jacksonville in the
same vicinity in the past 14 years. The two previous collisions
occurred in 1982 and 1984.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT MILITARY U.S. NAVY INCIDENTS
AT SEA by CNB