US 7th Fleet commander regrets damage to Tubbataha Reef

(Updated 9:01 a.m.) - Vice Admiral Scott H. Swift, commander of the US 7th Fleet, said he regretted the grounding of the USS Guardian, one of the fleet's minesweepers, on Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The 68-meter-long USS Guardian, which ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef on January 17, was spun around 90 degrees by the current, possibly causing more damage to the protected sanctuary. Photo from AFP Western Command

The news release also said that once the US ship is safely recovered by their navy, the US government “will continue to work with the Republic of Philippines government to assess the extent of the damage to the reef and the surrounding marine environment caused by the grounding.” Meanwhile, according to an article in the US military community periodical Stars and Stripes, the Guardian was on its way to Indonesia after leaving Subic Bay. From Indonesia the ship was supposed to go on to East Timor to join a training exercise. Also, the Guardian official website said the mine-countermeasures ship is presently commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Mark Rice. He was a former instructor at the Navy’s Surface Warfare Officer School and the former executive officer of the Guardian. Stars and Stripes said that commanders are often relieved of duty when incidents such as the grounding occur. It cited such examples of ships' captains being relieved as when, last June, Capt. Chuck Litchfield was fired when his amphibious assault ship USS Essex crashed into a refueling ship. Cmdr. Martin Arriola, meanwhile, was fired from his helm when the ship he commanded, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Porter, collided with a tanker in the Persian Gulf on Aug. 30. Another commander, Sara Santoski, was fired from heading the Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 on Sept. 1 following a crash resulting in the death of two sailors. All in all, 25 Navy commanding officers were relieved in 2012, two more than the year 2011. Faulty charts A separate article in Stars and Stripes said an inaccuracy in the US Navy's Digital Nautical Charts may have caused the USS Guardian to run aground on the Tubbataha Reef. The article said that Navigator of the Navy Rear Adm. Jonathan White had warned all Pacific Fleet ships that an "initial review of navigation data indicates an error in the location of Tubbataha Reef." However, Pacific Fleet spokesman Capt. Darryn James cautioned that "while the erroneous navigation chart data is important information, no one should jump to conclusions." "It is critical that the U.S. Navy conduct a comprehensive investigation that assesses all the facts surrounding the Guardian grounding,” James added. PHL government ready to help