Navy details damage to grounded Port Royal - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Navy details damage to grounded Port Royal

The cruiser Port Royal sheared off blades on both its screws, damaged its bow sonar dome and left its anchors, anchor chains and other debris on the ocean floor during the three days it was stuck on a shoal near Honolulu Airport, the Navy said.

The $1 billion cruiser sat at Pearl Harbor’s Mike 3 pier Monday as Navy divers ran a remotely operated vehicle underneath it looking for additional damage.

The Port Royal had just finished four months in drydock when it ran aground Thursday night after its first day of sea trials.

It will return to drydock at the end of this week for repairs, said Rear Adm. Joseph A. Walsh, deputy commander and chief of staff of the Pacific Fleet.

He could not provide an estimate on the cost of the damage or the cost of the effort to re-float the Port Royal.

“Obviously we are just very pleased that the ship did come free last night,” Walsh said.

Navy officials had hoped to re-float the Port Royal on their third attempt early Sunday morning, but rough seas prevented them from off-loading 200 tons of fuel and water.

Instead, engineers dumped 500 tons of seawater ballast into the ocean, dropped the ship’s anchors and anchor chains and used nine salvage ships to finally pull the Port Royal off its perch early Monday.

The ship’s commanding officer, Capt. John Carroll, was temporarily relieved of command Monday afternoon pending the results of the investigation into what happened.

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