http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sochi-olympics/u-s-warship-runs-aground-black-sea-n32991U.S. Warship Runs Aground in Black Sea
One of the U.S. Navy ships in the Black Sea that was supposed to be available to respond to an emergency in Sochi has been out of commission for nearly a week, a senior U.S. military official told NBC News.
The U.S.S. Taylor — a guided-missile frigate deployed to the Black Sea amid concerns about terror threats at the Winter Games — ran aground as it was pulling into port in Turkey last week, the official said.
The ship had been operating in the Black Sea for about a week when it went in for a standard port call in Samsun, Turkey last Wednesday. The vessel's prop was damaged in the incident — and now, nearly a week later, it remains in port as inspectors continue to assess the damage.
A senior U.S. military official says that there was an oil leak from the prop but that it was quickly contained.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Sixth Fleet in Italy told NBC News there are no plans to backfill the ship.
"At this point, no," the spokesperson said, adding that "it's too early to tell" how long the ship will remain in port.
The ship is "inoperable for now," a senior U.S. military official said.
— Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube
First published February 18th 2014, 12:35 pm