As Rough As It May Seem,It's Still Steady As You Go...
The Rear Admiral's decision was swifter than the Captains Command Blunder
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) -- The commanding officer of a $1 billion warship that ran aground along the coast of Honolulu has been relieved of duty, the Navy said Monday.
Rear Adm. Dixon R. Smith, commander of Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific, relieved Capt. John Carroll of his duties pending the results of an investigation into Thursday's incident. The Navy on Monday freed the vessel, which had been stuck for more than three days.
Carroll had taken command of the USS Port Royal in October. Capt. John T. Lauer III, who is currently assigned to the staff of Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific, was temporarily assigned as the guided missile cruiser's commanding officer.
The ship - one of the Navy's most advanced - ran aground when it was offloading sailors, contractors and shipyard personnel late Thursday. Efforts to refloat the vessel over the weekend were unsuccessful.
The Port Royal was extracted from a rock and sand shoal about 2 a.m. Monday after officials removed about 500 tons of seawater and 100 tons of anchors and other equipment, the Navy said in a statement. Officials said they plan to examine the wreck site to determine if there was a fuel leak or spill.
After an initial assessment, the ship was being towed to Naval Station Pearl Harbor for inspection. Dry docking at the shipyard should be completed in approximately one week, officials said.
The Navy has not discussed what may have caused the grounding.
The vessel had just finished its first day of sea trials after wrapping up a four-month routine maintenance stay at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. The 15-year-old Port Royal usually has about 24 officers and 340 enlisted sailors on board.
The Pearl Harbor-based Port Royal is capable of firing interceptors into space to shoot down missiles. It's also equipped with Aegis ballistic missile tracking technology.
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