The Navy salvaged a security patrol boat that hit a security barrier and sank within the perimeter of Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington last month.
Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific, along with personnel from Mobile Dive Salvage Unit 1, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, and several NBK tenant commands, coordinated to raise the ship from roughly 160 feet underwater at Hood Canal.
The salvage team then sent the vessel, which was assigned to the Navy’s Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific, to an on-base maintenance facility via a Navy barge.
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The Navy teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard regarding environmental issues and concerns. The service said it “does not appear” that significant oil or hazardous substances were released into the environment, although a few glossy patches of water were spotted periodically where the vessel rested.
Even so, an inspection of the vessel upon recovery showed most of the oil and other hazardous substances remained aboard the ship.
“Our environmental team takes seriously the importance of protecting the environment and wildlife while supporting the many missions performed from NBK,” Capt. Rich Massie, Naval Base Kitsap Commanding Officer, said in a Navy news release.
The incident, which occurred on Jan. 19, left three sailors hospitalized to treat “non-life threatening injuries,” the Navy said. The incident is still under investigation.
