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Two US navy vessels have collided in the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, lightly injuring 15 sailors, the US navy said. A nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Hartford, and amphibious transporter the USS New Orleans collided early on Friday, the US Navy Fifth Fleet said.
The incident is being investigated and damage to both ships is being evaluated, a navy statement said.
The New Orleans’ fuel tank was ruptured in the crash, causing a spill of 25,000 gallons of diesel.
No injuries were reported aboard the New Orleans, according to the statement from the Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain.
The atomic propulsion system of the submarine was not damaged by the incident, the statement said.
The US Fifth Fleet…patrols an area of about 7.5 million square miles of sea in the Middle East and eastern Africa. You’d think with that much room they could keep from running into each other.
#31–and Santa==I didn’t respond to this important part of your missive: “Well, that’s a fundamental difference there. I believe that we (as in the US) don’t owe anyone any moral, philosophical or any other kind of historical obligation.” /// You misperceive my concern completely. The owing or debt is to ourselves, not others. The concern to recognize our own limits of power springs from complete self interest. How silly and simply wrong headed you are.
I don’t understand why some people here are almost ashamed of our own country’s power and influence?
Might is right…
We do as we please…
Why is that such a reprehensible thought? Greed, for profits, resources and military power… is good.
What’s wrong? Our land is limited and population is growing, we ought to look for expansion at other people’s expense. Our forefathers did that here in the New World, I don’t see why we should not try that elsewhere.
If someone wants to stop us – so be it. See you on the other side of a cruise missile. Fair and square.. stop us if you can.
As an aside, pick up “The Next 100 Years” by George Friedman. Very interesting, not only about future predictions but our place in terms of geopolitical interests and capabilities.
I don’t know anything about the navy but I do know those straights — they are very narrow and very busy.
#44, Yes, the skies, too, are darned near empty, until you get near a major hub. It’s why there are facilities like TRACON (approach / departure control) and towers and ground control.
It’s not any leap of the imagination to understand why two ships would collide in those busy waters.
Here’s some live radio from DFW or other TRACON and tower facilities. Best time to listen is around 5-7PM local time.
http://liveatc.net/flisten.php?mount=kdfw