The destroyer Barry ran aground Thursday as it was preparing to dock at a port in the Black Sea, the Navy confirmed Friday.
The incident happened about 10:30 a.m. local time as the Norfolk-based ship was entering the Turkish port of Samsun for a scheduled visit.
The ship ran aground in silt as it maneuvered in the port's turning basin, about 200 yards from the pier. A harbor pilot was on board, a Navy official said.
Tugs freed the ship with assistance from Turkish coast guard divers, and the vessel is moored at a Samsun pier.
Commercial divers conducted an initial assessment of the destroyer Friday and found no damage. A U.S. diving team is expected to do a follow-up inspection today.
Depending on the results, the ship will continue on its mission. The Navy plans to investigate how the grounding happened.
The Barry left Norfolk in August to join a standing naval maritime group overseas and provide regional security. More recently, it has been operating on its own in the Black Sea, including a stop in the Georgian port town of Poti.
Matthew Jones, (757) 446-2949, matthew.jones@pilotonline.com
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What was the Harbor Pilot Doing?
While I am no sailor (army vet here), I can hardly see how the captain or crew can be blamed for a navigational error, while they have a harbor pilot guiding the vessel. But given the scapegoating policies currently in vogue in the military, I'm sure that the officers at least can look forward to a career cut short.
pilot
the captain is always in command read the books only on the panama canal and maybe one or two other ports is the captain actually relieved of his command. Stepping on and taking control
Of the situation is his responsibilty.
USS BARRY
The purpose of the Harbor Pilot is to assist the crew/ship in maneuvering in waters that they (the pilot) are intimately familiar with. If this is the case the Captain and crew should have nothing to worry about. My previous comment applies in the real world. For those of us that have been in the Navy, out to sea, and around instances, the reality is that the Captain will be relieved and he'll be asked to retire or face a no-promotion career. Navy motto - relieve first, investigate later.
yeah, but
With Commanding Officer tours being so short these days (18 months at most, I believe) and the over-abundance of Commanders (O5s) needing that "at-sea" command tour to get their eagle and Captain's stripes, this CO can indeed start packing. Although he (or she, whoever) may be found not at fault, the Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) Commander will simply state a loss of faith in the CO's ability to command and the CO will then be relieved and given "administrative duties" (writing their own retirement papers and going through the separation process, most likely). After all, DESRON has to impress the admirals and SECNAV with his or her ability to command, lest they fall prey to the over-abundance of Captain's (O6s) needing that DESRON command to get their first star. and on, and on, ....
My worst nightmare
Thank God it never happened to me. Had some close calls though.
-QMC(ret)
Because the Harbor Pilot was onboard...
...this should mitigate any considerations of action against the commanding officer to some degree. It sounds like the port isn't properly dredged. It will be interesting to see if fathometer readings were being properly maintained and how the water depths are charted in the turning basin. At first glance, this appears to be no fault of the Barry crew, but it will require further investigation.
Pack Your Bags, Skipper, XO, Navigator, OOD, Helmsman
With the mentality of late, all of these fine folks will be on the next flight from Istanbul to conus. It sounds like the pilot didn't know where the shallow areas were in the basin.
Hopefully, all of the crew will be vindicated.