USS John F Kennedy Hits Small Fishing Boat

[BEER980]

By First Coast News Staff

ARABIAN GULF -- The Mayport based Aircraft Carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy collided with a small fishing boat during Thursday night exercises in the Arabian Gulf. No one onboard the USS Kennedy is hurt. Search missions are looking for any survivors from the fishing vessel.

"First of all, there are a lot of unknowns. Even the way they say it, the Kennedy, collided with something, it could be that the boat collided with the Kennedy," said retired Admiral Jim Amerault of the United States Navy. A spokesperson on the USS Kennedy says helicopters and small boats were launched immediately. A debris field has been located, but no survivors have been found.

Amerault says there are many variables to this maritime mishap, the first being the two hit at night, and a carrier is supposed to be dimly lit. "All ships are dark, and it's safer that way. There's no bleeding of the lights, so people can't see navigation lights so they keep it pretty dark. It could be they have wartime rules where it is even darker," Amerault said.

As for the mighty carrier being a target for the usually docile dhow, Amerault thinks the pieces do not fit. "I would say a dhow is a pretty poor choice to deliver a bomb if that's what you are getting at. It has no speed, they have little tiny engines and they would never be able to intercept a carrier if the carrier didn't want it to," Amerault said.

The investigation is on-going.

Source

[pawlee]

Ted Kennedy was driving...