US warship deployed near Sochi runs aground

[unhappycamper]

http://gazette.com/us-warship-deployed-near-sochi-runs-aground/article/1514967



FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2008 file photo, U.S. Navy ship USS Taylor, behind a graffiti wall, enters the Black Sea port of Varna, Bulgaria. The U.S. Navy says one of two U.S. warships dispatched to the Black Sea before the Sochi Winter Olympics is being inspected for damage after it ran aground at a Turkish port last week. The frigate USS Taylor ran aground Feb. 12, 2014, as it was preparing to moor at Samsun, Turkey, about 230 miles southwest of Sochi. The Navy says the Taylor was able to dock without further incident and no one was injured. The Taylor and the USS Mount Whitney were sent to the Black Sea in early February.

US warship deployed near Sochi runs aground
Associated Press - • Updated: February 19, 2014 at 9:09 am • Published: February 19, 2014

WASHINGTON — One of two U.S. warships dispatched to the Black Sea before the Sochi Winter Olympics remains in a Turkish port after running aground last week, the Navy said Wednesday.

The frigate USS Taylor is being inspected for damage after it ran aground Feb. 12 while preparing to moor at Samsun, Turkey, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) southwest of Sochi. A Turkish official said it may be repaired in a day or two.

Lt. Shawn Eklund, a Navy spokesman in Europe, said that even with the Taylor sidelined, the U.S. would still be able to respond, should Russia ask for help with any crisis. The Taylor and the USS Mount Whitney were sent to the Black Sea after an uptick in security threats around the Olympics, although the Pentagon said the U.S. warships were deployed as part of normal military planning and could perform any required missions, including communications or evacuations.

"The Navy is still prepared to render support to the Russian Federation in the event of a crisis or contingency operation," Eklund said in a phone interview Wednesday.

[bemildred]

1. Well, that will intimidate them.