Amphib New Orleans repaired after collision

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Amphib New Orleans repaired after collision

By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 13, 2009 13:05:15 EDT

Fifty-three days after a collision knocked it out of service, the amphibious transport dock New Orleans returned to sea.

The ship, on its maiden voyage, was crippled by the attack submarine Hartford in a March 20 nighttime collision upon entering the Persian Gulf. The commanding officer and the chief of the boat of Hartford were both sacked in the aftermath of the incident.

New Orleans left the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard in Bahrain on Tuesday, according to a release from 5th Fleet. The collision with Hartford tore a 16- by-18-foot gash in the hull, and it punctured a fuel tank and two ballast tanks. The ship went into dry dock for repairs April 25.

Hartford, which suffered damage to its sail, is expected to arrive at its homeport of Groton, Conn., later this month. The sub, which was forced to make a surface transit, has reached the Atlantic Ocean, according to Cmdr. Pat McNally, a spokesman for Submarine Force in Norfolk, Va.

New Orleans deployed Jan. 9 from San Diego as part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, formerly known as an “expeditionary strike group.”

It is expected to return to normal operational duty. Cmdr. Jane Campbell, spokeswoman at 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said the ship will return to the U.S. on schedule with the rest of the group at the conclusion of the deployment. Most deployments last six months.

She said leathernecks from the embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit are back aboard, after using some of the downtime to train in Kuwait.

Pat Dolan, a spokeswoman at Naval Sea Systems Command, said the initial dry dock contract was $817,404, but the total repair cost was $2.3 million.

Mishap and safety investigations have been completed but are in endorsement reviews expected to take months, according to 5th Fleet.