USS Hartford and USS New Orleans Arrive in Port Bahrain

BAHRAIN (March 21, 2009) USS New Orleans (LPD 18) pulls into Mina Salman pier in Bahrain where U.S. Navy engineers and inspection teams will asses and evaluate damage that resulted from a collision with the amphibious ship, USS Hartford (SSN 768) in the Strait of Hormuz. No personnel aboard New Orleans were injured in the incident. Overall damage to both ships is being evaluated. New Orleans is deployed to the U.S. 5th fleet area of operations to support Maritime Security Operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David K. Simmons.)

Dispatches from the Front:

ALSO SEE: Photo Essay: USS Hartford, USS New Orleans Collision Damage

MANAMA, Bahrain, March 21, 2009 -- The U.S. Navy submarine and U.S. amphibious ship that collided in the Strait of Hormuz March 20, arrived in port Bahrain today.

USS Hartford (SSN 768) and USS New Orleans (LPD 18) arrived at Mina Salman pier to further assess and evaluate the damage that resulted from their collision at sea.

The incident remains under investigation.

Overall damage to both ships is being evaluated. The propulsion plant of the submarine was unaffected by this collision. New Orleans suffered a ruptured fuel tank, which resulted in a fuel spill of approximately 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel marine in the Strait of Hormuz.

Aerial searches of the area where the fuel spill occurred were conducted yesterday, and revealed no indication of any remaining fuel on the ocean’s surface.

The U.S. 5th Fleet has been working in coordination with the Navy Oceanographic Office to determine refined search areas, based on currents and winds. Additional searches were flown by U.S. Navy aircraft today and found no remaining fuel on the surface.

The quick dissipation of the fuel is likely due to the type of fuel, and various environmental factors to include air and water temperatures, winds and seas.

Both Hartford and New Orleans are currently on regularly scheduled deployments to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO).

MSO set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons, or other material.

(Report from a Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs news release.)

Tags: DOD, Military, War, United States, U.S., NAVCENT, Maritime Security Operation, Fifth Fleet, Navy, Dispatches from the Front
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension