The United States navy has a global presence. Warships do service all over the globe. Recently the guided missile cruiser Antietam ran aground in Tokyo bay in Japan. the matter was considered serious and the local commander Rear Admiral Charles Williams promptly removed the captain of the ship Joseph Carrigan from command and assigned him to shore duties. The incident occurred when the ship, while conducting maneuvers, hit a sand bar. The impact damaged the propellers and resulted in an oil spill. Almost 1100 gallons of oil were also discharged into the sea as a result of the impact.
The Japanese coast guard helped in cleaning the oil spill. The task force commander in Japan after a review of the incident decided that captain Carrigan was not fit to command such a warship and he has been removed from command. This ship is expected to serve till 2030.
The warship
The Antitiem is one of the most advanced warships of the navy. It is a multi-mission warship capable of supporting a carrier task force. This warship had a complement of 30 officers and 300 other ranks. Commanding such a formidable ship is generally a step away from climbing up the ladder in the navy hierarchy. Carrigan spoilt his copybook by this incident.
The incident
The navy has not released any further information about the incident.
However, the propellers that move the ship are damaged. The cost of the repairs is not yet worked out, but the ship will necessitate extensive repairs and will not be operational for a couple of months. With heightened tension with China and North Korea, the navy can ill afford to lose a potent warship due to an act of professional incompetence.
The US navy takes such incidents seriously and that led to the removal of the Captain. Temporary command of the ship has been handed over to Captain Jonathan Duffy, Deputy Commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15.
The navy has confirmed that no Japanese or American personnel have suffered any injury, but the damage to the ship has rendered it unworthy to sail.
