The Navy is still struggling to free a riverine patrol boat stuck on the rocks outside Naval Station Mayport, Florida, after running aground six days earlier. nearly a week ago.
The Navy has dispatched Mobile Diving Salvage Unit 2 to find a way to gure out how to free PB-414 from a rock jetty which is stuck on a rock jetty near the inlet that leads to the base, according to a Navy report obtained by Navy Times.
An initial side-scan sonar reading shows the boat resting upright against the jetty.
There were no injuries in the accident, but a rock pierced the hull, leaving the engine compartment flooded and the aft deck awash, according initial reports.
A five-person crew with Coastal Riverine Squadron 10 were returning from a mission at about 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11, but overshot the entrance to the St. Johns River, which is flanked on both sides by rock jetties. The coxswain then attempted to bank a u-turn but ran into the rocks, the report said.
The Coast Guard arrived and helped the sailors and their gear off the boat. The Navy is consulting with the regional maintenance center on the best way to free the boat from the rocks, the report said.
It’s the second major navigational error for the riverines in a month. On Jan. 11, officials believe sailors from Coastal Riverine Squadron 3 took a short-cut to a refueling rendezvous through Iranian territorial waters, leading to their capture and setting off an international incident on the day of the president’s State of the Union address.
It is also the second boating mishap in recent years for CRS 10, a reserve riverine squadron that runs patrol boats overseas. In 2013, two of its riverine boats ran aground near Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, injuring three crew members.
An investigation found inadequate supervision and planning, and it cost the squadron's XO his job.
David B. Larter was the naval warfare reporter for Defense News.
