U.S. News - ships

Oct

2012

7:57pm, EDT

Navy nuclear submarine, cruiser collide off East Coast; no injuries reported

Mc2 Aaron Chase / US Navy

The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Montpelier (SSN 765) returns to Naval Station Norfolk recently after a routine six-month deployment.

By NBC's Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube

Updated at 9:24 a.m. ET: A U.S. Navy nuclear submarine and an Aegis cruiser collided during routine training off the U.S. East Coast on Saturday afternoon.

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US Navy

The USS San Jacinto

No one aboard either the USS Montpelier or the USS San Jacinto was injured, Pentagon officials told NBC News. Both vessels continued to operate under their own power.

The Montpelier is a nuclear-powered Los Angeles-class fast attack sub launched in 1991. The San Jacinto is an Aegis-class missile cruiser commissioned in 1988.

"We have had circumstances where Navy vessels have collided at sea in the past, but they're fairly rare as to how often they do take place," Lt. Cmdr. Brian Badura of the Fleet Forces Command told The Associated Press.

"If we do have an incident that does take place, there are folks that swing into action ... to help us make a better, more conclusive explanation of exactly what happened," Badura added.

The Navy said in a news release that "overall damage to both ships is being evaluated," and that the sub's propulsion plant was "unaffected by the collision."

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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May

2012

3:40am, EDT

US Navy ships collide off California coast after 'steering malfunction'

US Navy via Reuters

The accident occurred as the USS Essex, below, was approaching the USNS Yukon to be refueled.

By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, NBC News

An 844-foot-long U.S. Navy assault ship collided with a refueling tanker Wednesday about 120 miles off the coast of California in the Pacific Ocean.

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The USS Essex, a helicopter carrier, was pulling alongside the supply ship Yukon for a routine replenishment at sea when the Essex suffered an apparent "steering malfunction" and the two ships collided.

While there was damage to both ships, no one was injured and no fuel was spilled.

The ships likely just bounced off each other, maritime safety consultant James W. Allen told The Associated Press.

Even so, Allen said, with massive ships, it can be "a pretty hard bump that can bend metal" and cause dents. The Essex, known as the Iron Gator, resembles a small aircraft carrier, while the Yukon is 677 feet long.

The Essex was on its way to port in San Diego after 12 years of deployment in the Pacific. It had been based at Sasebo, Japan, and was carrying 982 crew members.

The Yukon arrived at the Navy base in San Diego after 3 p.m. (6 p.m. ET) Wednesday with its crew of 82, including 78 civilian mariners and four military crew members.

The Essex was keeping to its planned arrival time of 9 a.m. (12 p.m. ET) Thursday, according to the AP.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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