The U.S. Navy’s guided missile cruiser USS Antietam ran aground off the coast of Yokosuka, Japan on Tuesday, damaging the ship’s props and causing hydraulic oil to spill into the water.
The incident was first reported by the Navy Times. The report, citing two Navy officials familiar with the incident, says the ship grounded after dragging anchor in high winds near its home port of Yokosuka. The grounding caused the ship to dump some 1,100 gallons of oil into the water, the officials said.
The extent of the damage and grounding is unclear, but the U.S. Navy did confirm that the ship damaged during anchoring in a statement obtained by gCaptain.com.
In the statement, the Navy confirmed that the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) damaged its propellers while anchoring in Tokyo Bay in the vicinity of Yokosuka, Japan, Jan. 31. The ship was towed back to port following the incident.
“The ship safely returned to Fleet Activities Yokosuka with the help of tugs. There were no injuries to U.S. or Japanese personnel. The incident did result in the discharge of hydraulic oil into the water,” the Navy statement said.
“The Navy is cooperating with the Government of Japan and Japanese Coast Guard in response to this issue and is taking appropriate measures to minimize impacts to the environment,” the statement added.
The Navy has launched and investigation to assess the full extent of the damage.
The USS Antietam is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
