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Fighters sent inland, ships on 48-hour notice

NORFOLK, Va. — Dozens of ships that had prepared to push out to sea Friday to avoid Tropical Storm Hanna are still in port.

As of midday Friday, the ships of the U.S. 2nd Fleet were pulled back from an urgent notice to be ready to get to sea in 24 hours. The order is now to prepare to cast off within 48 hours in the wake of the storm, expected to arrive in Hampton Roads on Saturday.

However, about 150 aircraft, mostly F/A-18 models, have been departing Naval Air Station Oceana all morning and into the afternoon, headed for safe haven on Navy and Air Force bases, mostly in the eastern United States. With high winds and rain expected, the evasion is meant to protect the aircraft from flying debris and other possible damage.

“This is just something precautionary,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mark Burgess, base aviation safety officer. “This is pretty common to go and get the planes out of harm’s way.”

Aircraft from Strike Fighter Squadrons 213, 31, 15 and 87 stayed behind at Oceana for the storm as they are scheduled to deploy as part of Carrier Air Wing 8 with the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group on the morning of Sept. 8.

“We’ll all be hangaring our aircraft for the weekend, for the storm,” Chief Aviation Maintenance Adminstrationman (AW) William Spittle, as aircraft were being towed off the flight line and into shelter. “We’re just busy bees.”

Navy personnel and families were advised to review evacuation procedures, according to a notice Thursday from Rear Adm. Mark Boensel, commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.

Boensel had set Hurricane Condition 3, meaning destructive winds are expected within 48 hours. That notification remains in effect.

Earlier today, 2nd Fleet ships were moved from a Condition B status to Condition C, giving crews 48 hours to depart instead of the earlier 24-hour warning. Lt. Courtney Hillson, fleet spokeswoman said weather forecasts had shown Hanna to be weakening.

As a rule, ships are safer at sea than tied up at the waterfront “where high winds and storm surges could act to cause damage to both the ship and the pier,” according to the notice from 2nd Fleet.

Current storm tracks place Hanna on a path toward the Carolinas,. then proceeding north toward Hampton Roads and beyond. Another potentially stronger storm, Hurricane Ike, follows close behind from the Atlantic. It was rated at Category 3 on Friday, down from a more dangerous Category 4.

Incoming Hanna might have complicated the deployment of the 7,300 sailors assigned to the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, set to begin a regular rotation to the Middle East beginning Monday, with the carrier leaving first and other ships through the week.

Hillson said the deployment will proceed as scheduled.

Theodore Roosevelt will be joined by Carrier Air Wing 8. The Norfolk-based cruiser Monterey and the fast combat support ship Supply are scheduled to deploy Sept. 10. Supply is homeported at in Earle, N.J. Destroyers Mason, Nitze and The Sullivans, and attack submarine Springfield are set to get underway on Sept. 12. Springfield will deploy from Groton, Conn. The Sullivans is homeported in Mayport, Fla., and Nitze and Mason are based in Norfolk.

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NAS Oceana evacuation