Navy Warship Remains Grounded on Hawaii Reef

HONOLULU – After hoping a high tide would help their effort, the Navy’s attempt to free a $1 billion guided-missile cruiser that ran aground off the Oahu coast was unsuccessful. On Thursday evening, the USS Port Royal was grounded less than a half mile off the reef runway at the Honolulu International Airport. After Saturday’s failure to free the ship, the Navy plans to lighten the vessel and make it easier to float by unloading its fuel and other supplies. An oil-recovery vessel is nearby the grounded cruiser in case of any oil leaks, but none have been discovered. The 567-foot warship runs on four gas turbine engines, weighs 9,600 tons and carries a crew of 364. The cause of the ship being hung up on the reef and any damage to the cruiser or surrounding environment is under investigation.