ID :
14522
Fri, 08/01/2008 - 07:59
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http://m.oananews.org//node/14522
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Smoking blamed for fire on U.S. aircraft carrier, skippers removed
LOS ANGELES, July 30 Kyodo - The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday that the May 22 fire on the aircraft carrier George Washington, scheduled for deployment in Japan shortly, is likely to havebeen caused by unauthorized smoking that ignited improperly stored combustible materials.
The vessel's commanding and executive officers have been relieved of their duties.
The revelation that the probable cause was lax discipline may heighten anxiety among citizens in the Japanese port town of Yokosuka which hosts the U.S. Navy base where the nuclear-powered carrier will be based. At least two rallies drawing more than 10,000 citizens were held in July against the deployment.
Capt. David Dykhoff was relieved of his duties Wednesday ''due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards,'' a press release from the commander of the Naval Air Forces in San Diego said.
The vessel's executive officer, Capt. David M. Dober, was also relieved ''for substandard performance.''The navy's investigation determined that ''the likely cause of the fire was unauthorized smoking that ignited flammable liquids and other combustible material improperly stored in an adjacent space,'' the statement said.
''The fire and the subsequent magnitude of the fire were the result of a series of human acts that could have been prevented.''Capt. J.R. Haley, who was deputy chief of staff to the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, has taken command of the George Washington, it said. He was the commanding officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt from June 2005 until this January.
Capt. Karl O. Thomas has been assigned as the new executive officer of the George Washington.
The fire broke out in an unmanned auxiliary boiler exhaust and supply space on May 22 when the carrier was in the Pacific off South America. The storage of 90 gallons of refrigerant compressor oil in the space helped intensify the fire, the statement said.
Previously, the Japanese Foreign Ministry and other sources said they were told by the United States that it was an incipient fire but the navy's statement indicated that it was more than that, throwing into question the Japanese government's intelligence capabilities.
The press release said it took around 12 hours to extinguish and 37 sailors were treated for minor injuries incurred during fire fighting and about 80 out of over 3,800 total spaces aboard the carrier were damaged, incurring around $70 million in estimated repair costs.
With repairs nearly complete, the George Washington will depart San Diego on Aug. 21 and is expected to arrive in Yokosuka in late September as the successor to the U.S. Navy's last conventional fuel-powered aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, which is scheduled for arrival in San Diego on Aug. 7, it said.
The deployment was initially scheduled for August, but repairs from the fire on the carrier caused the delay.
An official at the U.S. Navy's San Diego base told Kyodo News that the name and other information of the smoker including possible disciplinary actions cannot be disclosed. Smoking is said to be banned aboard the carrier except for designated areas.
In Yokosuka, some residents on Thursday voiced anxiety over the upcoming arrival of the George Washington for deployment in the port city, after the U.S. Navy's announcement that the likely cause of the fire was unauthorized smoking.
Masahiko Goto, a lawyer and co-representative of an anti-nuclear vessel civic group, said, ''The fire indicates that the morale and quality of the crew has dropped to an alarming level.''''The (Japanese) government should not accept the deployment because anxiety among citizens has not been dispelled,'' he said.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Thursday afternoon that the government has been reassured of the safety of U.S. nuclear-powered military vessels when making port calls in Japan after a briefing by U.S. officials on the investigation results.
Shinichi Nishimiya, director general of the ministry's North American Affairs Bureau, was quoted as telling Rear Adm. James Kelly, commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Japan, and James Zumwalt, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, that Japan hopes the U.S. Navy would continue efforts to prevent recurrence of a similar incident.
The vessel's commanding and executive officers have been relieved of their duties.
The revelation that the probable cause was lax discipline may heighten anxiety among citizens in the Japanese port town of Yokosuka which hosts the U.S. Navy base where the nuclear-powered carrier will be based. At least two rallies drawing more than 10,000 citizens were held in July against the deployment.
Capt. David Dykhoff was relieved of his duties Wednesday ''due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards,'' a press release from the commander of the Naval Air Forces in San Diego said.
The vessel's executive officer, Capt. David M. Dober, was also relieved ''for substandard performance.''The navy's investigation determined that ''the likely cause of the fire was unauthorized smoking that ignited flammable liquids and other combustible material improperly stored in an adjacent space,'' the statement said.
''The fire and the subsequent magnitude of the fire were the result of a series of human acts that could have been prevented.''Capt. J.R. Haley, who was deputy chief of staff to the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, has taken command of the George Washington, it said. He was the commanding officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt from June 2005 until this January.
Capt. Karl O. Thomas has been assigned as the new executive officer of the George Washington.
The fire broke out in an unmanned auxiliary boiler exhaust and supply space on May 22 when the carrier was in the Pacific off South America. The storage of 90 gallons of refrigerant compressor oil in the space helped intensify the fire, the statement said.
Previously, the Japanese Foreign Ministry and other sources said they were told by the United States that it was an incipient fire but the navy's statement indicated that it was more than that, throwing into question the Japanese government's intelligence capabilities.
The press release said it took around 12 hours to extinguish and 37 sailors were treated for minor injuries incurred during fire fighting and about 80 out of over 3,800 total spaces aboard the carrier were damaged, incurring around $70 million in estimated repair costs.
With repairs nearly complete, the George Washington will depart San Diego on Aug. 21 and is expected to arrive in Yokosuka in late September as the successor to the U.S. Navy's last conventional fuel-powered aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, which is scheduled for arrival in San Diego on Aug. 7, it said.
The deployment was initially scheduled for August, but repairs from the fire on the carrier caused the delay.
An official at the U.S. Navy's San Diego base told Kyodo News that the name and other information of the smoker including possible disciplinary actions cannot be disclosed. Smoking is said to be banned aboard the carrier except for designated areas.
In Yokosuka, some residents on Thursday voiced anxiety over the upcoming arrival of the George Washington for deployment in the port city, after the U.S. Navy's announcement that the likely cause of the fire was unauthorized smoking.
Masahiko Goto, a lawyer and co-representative of an anti-nuclear vessel civic group, said, ''The fire indicates that the morale and quality of the crew has dropped to an alarming level.''''The (Japanese) government should not accept the deployment because anxiety among citizens has not been dispelled,'' he said.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Thursday afternoon that the government has been reassured of the safety of U.S. nuclear-powered military vessels when making port calls in Japan after a briefing by U.S. officials on the investigation results.
Shinichi Nishimiya, director general of the ministry's North American Affairs Bureau, was quoted as telling Rear Adm. James Kelly, commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Japan, and James Zumwalt, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, that Japan hopes the U.S. Navy would continue efforts to prevent recurrence of a similar incident.
