July 2006 Archived News
7/30/06
Inspiration for 'Men of Honor' dies
RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- Carl M. Brashear, the first black U.S. Navy diver
who was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 2000 film "Men of Honor," died
Tuesday. He was 75.
Brashear died at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth of respiratory and heart
failure, the medical center said.
Brashear retired from the Navy in 1979 after more than 30 years of service. He
was the first Navy diver to be restored to full active duty as an amputee, the
result of a leg injury he sustained during a salvage operation.
"The African-American community lost a great leader today in Carl Brashear,"
Gooding said of the man he played alongside Robert DeNiro, who was Brashear's
roughneck training officer in "Men of Honor." "His impact to us as a people and
all races will be felt for many decades to come."
In 1966 Brashear was assigned to recover a hydrogen bomb that dropped into
waters off of Spain when two U.S. Air Force planes collided.
During the mission Brashear was struck below his left knee by a pipe that the
crew was using to hoist the bomb out of the water. Brashear was airlifted to a
naval hospital where the bottom of his left leg was amputated to avoid gangrene.
It later was replaced with a prosthetic leg.
The Navy was ready to retire Brashear from active duty, but he soon began a
grueling training program that included diving, running and calisthenics.
"Sometimes I would come back from a run, and my artificial leg would have a
puddle of blood from my stump. I wouldn't go to sick bay because they would have
taken me out of the program," Brashear said in 2002 when he was inducted into
the Gallery of Great Black Kentuckians. "Instead, I'd go hide somewhere and soak
my leg in a bucket of hot water with salt in it -- that's an old remedy I
learned growing up."
Brashear faced an uphill battle when he joined the Navy in 1948 at the age of
17, not long after the U.S. military desegregated.
"I went to the Army office, and they weren't too friendly," Brashear said in
2002. "But the Navy recruiter was a lot nicer. Looking back, I was placed in my
calling."
Brashear, the son of poor sharecroppers in Sonora, Kentucky, quickly decided
after boot camp that he wanted to become a deep-sea diver.
"Growing up on a farm in Kentucky, I always dreamed of doing something
challenging," he said. "When I saw the divers for the first time, I knew it was
just what I wanted."
In 1954 he was accepted and graduated from the diving program, despite daily
battles with discrimination, including having hate notes left on his bunk.
He went on to train for advanced diving programs before his 1966 incident.
"He kept to himself personally, but his military life was an open book," said
Junetta Brashear, his first wife, who lives in Portsmouth, Virginia, near
Brashear's home in Virginia Beach.
She said Brashear's health started to deteriorate about three years ago, but
that he had experienced problems ever since the amputation.
Brashear married childhood friend Junetta Wilcox in 1952 and had four children
-- Shazanta, DaWayne, Phillip and Patrick -- before their divorce in 1978. He
later married Hattie R. Elam and Jeanette A. Brundage.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
7/19/06
ORIENT QUEEN Evacuates Americans From Beirut
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Westerners fled Lebanon by land, sea and air on 17 July 2006 as Israel sent ground troops into Lebanon briefly and Hezbollah rockets knocked down a three-story house in northern Israel. However, there were signs of movement on the diplomatic front to end the fighting. The main U.S. evacuation plan involves a cruise ship, the 750-passenger ORIENT QUEEN, due to arrive in Lebanon on 18 July 2006 to ferry 25,000 American passengers to Cyprus. Defense officials said other private ships are likely to be contracted, as well. Americans have been told to wait for a phone call and that they can't board the ship unless they've signed a contract agreeing to pay the U.S. government back for the price of their evacuation. Submitted by Joe Barr
Situation in eastern Mediterranean
In the humanitarian crisis surrounding the current escalation of hostilities in
the eastern Mediterranean, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has
expressed concern for the safe evacuation by sea of persons affected by the
conflict and for the safety of commercial shipping operating in the area.
With respect to the evacuation operation, the provisions of Article V of the
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which states
that “For the purposes of evacuating persons in order to avoid a threat to the
security of their lives a Contracting Government may permit the carriage of a
larger number of persons in its ships than is otherwise permissible under the
present Convention”, are of particular importance.
IMO is also concerned that all necessary appropriate measures are taken to
protect the safety of life and property at sea and the protection and
preservation of the marine environment in the affected area. To that end, Spain,
in her capacity as the NAVAREA Co-ordinator responsible for issuing maritime
safety information in the Mediterranean Sea, has been issuing, since 13 July
2006, appropriate Navigational Warnings informing and advising shipping about
developments in the eastern Mediterranean.
IMO has also been informed that, as provided for by the International Ship and
Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, maritime administrations of Member States
have advised ships flying their flag to raise their security level while sailing
through the eastern Mediterranean Sea area.
Transport Ministers and maritime representatives of IMO Member Governments
concerned, the Ambassador of Lebanon in London, the Commandants of the Hellenic
and Italian Coast Guards, the President of the International Hydrographic
Bureau, the NAVAREA Co-ordinator for the Mediterranean Sea and other authorities
competent for the evacuation operation and the issuance of appropriate
navigational warnings are being consulted and the IMO Secretariat is closely
following developments.
Reported by International Maritime Organization
7/16/06
Israeli Ship hit by Hezbollah missile
On July 14, 2006, while enforcing a blockade off Beirut the INS Hanit was
attacked by Hezbollah, apparently using a Chinese-designed C-802 (CSS-N-8
Saccade) missile. The ship suffered damage near the helicopter landing pad (or,
according to the press conference, near the bridge) and was on fire for several
hours and temporarily lost its ability to steer. Four sailors were killed, and
the ship returned to Ashdod for repairs.
According the the Israeli Navy, the ship's sophisticated automatic missile
defense system was intentionally disabled. This was done for two reasons, one,
there were many Israeli Air Force aircraft conducting operations in the vicinity
of the ship and it was feared that the system may accidently be triggered by a
friendly aircraft, potentially shooting it down. Second, there was no
intelligence pointing to the fact that such a sophisticated missile, roughly
equivalent to the American Harpoon, was deployed in Lebanon by Hezbollah.
7/13/06
News for the month of July has been slow to come and sparse. We have been on trips and vacations throughout the month.
Ship Carrying Liquid Gas Burns Off Jordan
AMMAN, Jordan - A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas caught fire as
it unloaded Thursday in Aqaba, injuring 12 people, the manager of the Jordanian
port said.
Four of the injured were firefighters, who needed an hour to bring the blaze
under control, said Awwad al-Maaytah, the director general of Aqaba Port
Authority. The other injured were crewmen.
The ship was promptly evacuated and towed away from the pier in the Red Sea port
having unloaded only half of its cargo.
Al-Maaytah said the cause of the fire was under investigation.
The injured were taken to a military hospital in Aqaba, 210 miles south of the
Jordanian capital, the state news agency Petra reported.
Jordan imports its liquefied gas from neighboring Egypt, most of it through an
underwater pipeline. But some of the gas is brought by ship across the Red Sea.
Las Vegas Sun
Senate approves plan for oil drilling in Gulf of Mexico
By Lesley Clark
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON - Hailing it as a historic deal, Senate leaders announced on
Wednesday a plan to open a wide swath of the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas
drilling.
The proposal would limit new offshore development to the gulf, keeping oil and
gas rigs as much as 235 miles off the Florida's Gulf Coast along Tampa and
Naples and no closer than 125 miles off the Florida Panhandle. The protections
would expire in 2022.
The House of Representatives' main drilling champion, Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif.,
welcomed the Senate action as a move "in the right direction," but he noted that
the House legislation would affect more of the U.S. coastline.
"Depending on exactly what it is they do, I don't think they are that much
different on the eastern gulf stuff from what we are," Pombo said. "The only
question then is, how do we deal with the rest of the country, because if it is
good enough to protect Florida, why isn't it good enough to protect California?"
The proposal, hammered out after months of negotiations, was unveiled with
fanfare at the Capitol by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and a
bipartisan group that included Florida Republican Sen. Mel Martinez. Martinez
was part of the closed-door deal-making and pronounced himself "thrilled and
delighted" with the compromise.
The plan drew a more tempered response from his Democratic counterpart, Florida
Sen. Bill Nelson. Nelson called the compromise "very promising," but said he
wanted to see the details in writing.
Nelson, who along with Martinez has pushed for a 150-mile buffer, said he'd be
more inclined to support the measure if Senate leaders can ensure that it will
be embraced by the House.
Two weeks ago, the House passed sweeping legislation that would open up much of
the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling as close as 50 miles to shore. Lawmakers
from coastal states have long opposed offshore drilling, contending that one
spill or pollution from drilling operations could mar coastlines and threaten
tourism.
But the House bill would be unlikely to pass in the Senate, paving the way for
yet more negotiations between the two chambers as the clock on the legislative
session winds down.
Lead negotiator Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., estimated that the Senate proposal
would yield more than 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, "enough to make sure
all the homes in Florida have enough natural gas for 10 years."
Florida's congressional delegation for months has been fending off aggressive
efforts to open the Gulf of Mexico to energy exploration. Pressure has increased
recently with rising gas prices and lawmakers eager to show voters in November
that they've addressed the issue.
The Senate bill has the backing of most of the energy-producing gulf states,
which held out for a provision that would give them a share of the revenues
generated by new lease sales and production royalties.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., noted he'd recently gone fishing near an oil rig off
the Alabama shore and "not one drop of oil was on the water."
But environmentalists decried the compromise, warning that it gives the House
the opportunity to push in conference meetings for broader access. They argued
that the country would be better off promoting energy conservation.
"Any offshore drilling bill is a step in the wrong direction," said Athan Manuel
of the Sierra Club.
There was little evidence Wednesday that the House would cede to the Senate,
with a spokesman for House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, saying that the
Senate first needs to pass legislation.
"That needs to happen before there is any talk of agreements or alternate
decisions," spokesman Kevin Madden said.
McClatchy Washington Bureau reporter David Whitney contributed to this report.
’Safmarine Agulhas’ update
Cape Town
Good progress continues to be made with respect to the removal of cargo from the
grounded container ship ‘Safmarine Agulhas’ (SEE ORIGINAL STORY IN LAST MONTHS
NEWS SECTION). The salvage team has removed all deck cargo as well as containers
stacked below deck in two of the four holds. The vessel was carrying 469 loaded
containers containing varied cargo and 112 empty containers when it ran aground.
The removal of the remaining containers onboard, located in the two holds
affected by water ingress, also began today.
The fuel removal operation continues and thus far approximately 580 tonnes has
been removed. The vessel had approximately 662 tonnes of heavy fuel oil on board
prior to the fuel removal operation commencing.
The structural integrity of the vessel continues to be monitored and internal
assessments are continuously being undertaken. Future refloating attempts have
been delayed in order to ensure that the fuel and cargo removal operations are
completed.
A number of proactive environmental protection measures remain in place:
* The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism’s (DEAT) oil pollution
patrol aircraft ‘Kuswag VIII’, stationed in East London, over flies the casualty
daily.
* DEAT has mobilised oil spill abatement equipment and a team of experts to East
London. This team is conducting daily beach patrols to monitor any impact on the
environment.
* The SMIT oil pollution abatement vessel ‘Kuswag IV’ is on site as an
additional precaution.
* The tug ‘Smit Amandla’ is connected to the ‘Safmarine Agulhas’ and is holding
her off of the breakwater.
Reported by SMIT Salvage
Salvage on the Amazon
SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage was Saturday 8/7 contracted to salvage a 109 meter
long, with some 3,600 tons gasoil loaded tanker aground on the Amazon River.
The 6,007 ton DWT, 1981 build product tanker is aground relatively close to
Manaus, in the middle of Brasil. Salvage team members from the SvitzerWijsmuller
Salvage office and warehouses in Rio and Macae are being mobilised to the site
with further back-up from The Netherlands and Argentina being moved in.
Oil pollution abatement staff and equipment is also mobilised in as a
contingency. The currents in the river will make the operation more complicated.
Reported by Svitver Wijsmuller
Experts Confirm Sunken Sub is USS Lagarto
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Experts at the Naval Historical Center
in Washington, D.C., have confirmed that a World War II submarine wreck found in
the Gulf of Thailand last year is USS Lagarto (SS 371).
Underwater archeologists at the center completed their examination of evidence
obtained in June by Navy divers from USS Salvor (ARS 52) and Mobile Diving and
Salvage Unit 1, both based in Pearl Harbor.
"We now know for certain that this is Lagarto," said Rear Adm. Jeffrey Cassias,
commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet submarine force. "I am grateful to all those
involved in helping to bring closure to the families of these 86 men who died in
service to our nation."
For 60 years, crew members' families did not know the exact circumstances
surrounding the 86 submariners who perished. Lagarto was last heard from May 3,
1945, as she was preparing to attack a Japanese convoy under heavy escorts in
the Gulf of Thailand. Japanese war records later revealed that the minelayer
Hatsutaka reported sinking a U.S. submarine at roughly the same time and
location.
In May 2005, British wreck diver Jamie MacLeod reported finding the sunken
Lagarto lying upright in about 225 feet of water. Though the documentation
provided by MacLeod was compelling, Navy officials waited to see the wreckage
for themselves before stating for certain that the wreck was Lagarto. The
Thailand phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)
provided an opportunity for Navy divers to visit the site in June.
Reported by US Navy
Great Lakes Limestone Trade Off 6 Percent In June
Cleveland---Shipments of limestone from U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports totaled 4.5 million net tons in June, a decrease of 6 percent compared to a year ago. The June stone float was 3 percent behind the month’s 5-year average. Light loading again was a major factor in the limestone trade in June. The largest vessels hauling limestone reported losing anywhere from 500 to 700 tons per trip because either the loading or discharge port has not been dredged to project depth. Dredging is an annual need at many ports and waterways, but appropriations from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund have been inadequate for decades, even though the Fund is generated by a Federal tax on cargo movement. This loss of carrying capacity is doubly significant right now as two vessels that haul stone are out of service for upgrades. The self-unloading barge Joseph H. Thompson has yet to sail this year because its tug is being modernized. The Thompson is steadily engaged in the stone trade. The self-propelled Lee A. Tregurtha also has been in the shipyard since January for repowering. The Tregurtha backhauls both coal and stone. For the year, the Lakes stone trade stands at 14 million net tons, a decrease of 2.6 percent compared to the same point in 2005. The trade is 8 percent ahead of the 5-year average for the January-June time frame. Reported by Lake Carriers Association