Stuck Navy ship failed to report sewage release near Hawaii shore

[sabra]

Source: honolulu advertiser

5,000 gallons of raw wastewater went into sea during Port Royal grounding

The Navy is pointing to a breakdown in communication in failing to report to state officials a 5,000-gallon release of raw sewage Saturday night by the grounded cruiser Port Royal, which was refloated early Monday.
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The state Department of Health revealed the information yesterday. The Navy had not mentioned the sewage release at news conferences discussing the incident.

"The Navy did its best to keep all the responding organizations informed amid rapidly changing circumstances," said Capt. W. Scott Gureck, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Fleet. "Any breakdown in communication under these circumstances was unintentional."

The omission was one more bit of embarrassment heaped onto the 3 1/2-day spectacle of a 9,600-ton warship capable of shooting down ballistic missiles in space sitting helplessly aground in 17 to 22 feet of water just off Honolulu International Airport's reef runway.

Read more: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090211/NEWS08/902110398/1001/LOCALNEWSFRONT

[Coventina]

1. Gross.

I've taken off from that runway, it's quite an experience.

:-)

[Canuckistanian]

2. I imagine their holding tanks were filled pretty quickly after that grounding

What an embarrassment.

[yourout]

3. Great....my wife and I are flying to Oahu on Sunday for our 25th anniversary and are staying a....

few blocks off Wikiki. Not very far from the spill.
:mad:

[Coventina]

4. Have you been to Oahu before?

If you have, then forgive me for telling you what you already know.

But if you haven't, don't worry, this won't ruin your vacation.

There are many, many beaches a short bus-ride away that you can go to that won't be polluted (if Waikiki turns out to be). Even if you don't have a rental car, it will be easy to take advantage, Honolulu has a GREAT public transit system. And the other beaches will be less crowded, and some of them are more lovely than Waikiki as well (IMO).

Have a great time!

:hi:

[yourout]

5. 1st time.....the Mrs is pretty excited but I have not told her about the cockroaches and geckos.

She really hates creepy crawlys.

[Coventina]

6. From my experience, you're more likely to squish a slug

than to see a cockroach or gecko.

So watch your step at night! (That's when they come out).

:-)

If she doesn't like the geckos, just tell her that they're the good guys! They EAT the bugs!

You'll have a great time! I hope to hear all about it when you get back!!

[arcadian]

14. All O'ahu beaches are polluted.

Except maybe the North Shore.

[Coventina]

16. I meant polluted as in "closed by the health department"

I won't argue that ALL beaches are polluted.

Heck, the whole OCEAN is polluted.

[jaksavage]

9. Go to the swap

at Aloha stadium sunday I think, maybe thursday too. Its da best tourist shoppin and people watchin.
Bishop museum, Hanauma bay, go early, and often, Lanikai beach on da weekend, Punchbowl, Diamond head, Northshore if the big waves are coming in, walk kailua beach. Enjoy.

[dysfunctional press]

7. "a 9,600-ton warship capable of shooting down ballistic missiles in space.."

how do they get a 9,600 ton warship into space in the first place? :shrug:

[Regret My New Name]

10. lots of balloons

[Blue_Tires]

8. man...how many folks are gonna be busted to seaman recruit

after this episode is over?

[hedgehog]

11. Hmmm, if I were trying to refloat a ship and I had 5000 gallons of

sewage on board.......

[Quantess]

12. How lovely. People frolicking on the beach will be pleasantly surprised.

I'm sure Hawaii's tourism industry is thrilled that raw sewage was dumped so close to the shore.

[Thothmes]

13. In all fairness,

really think this was really way down low on the CO's and the Navy's priority list for those three days. Doesnt excuse the omission, just not that important at the time.

[No Elephants]

15. To whom? And, maybe if they had announced the problem, an alternative could have been devised.