Entire base of US ship’s smokestack removed

MANILA, Philippines - Salvors have removed the entire base of the smokestack of the USS Guardian, the United States (US) Navy warship that ran aground in Tubbataha Reef in Palawan province, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official said yesterday.

Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, PCG Palawan District commander, said favorable weather allowed the salvors to continue working on the dismantling and cutting of the USS Guardian.

“Yesterday, they worked on removing the rest of the funnel or smokestack of the ship. Pipes that were part of the base of the funnel were removed. The whole base section of the ship’s funnel was removed,” Evangelista said.

The salvor teams include the SMIT Borneo, the US Navy, and the Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp.

So far, they have taken the entire funnel, mast, bridge, and Level 01-B, or the whole superstructure at the main deck of the US minesweeper.

They are currently preparing and rigging Level 01-A section that covers the cabins of the commanding office, executive officer and the officer’s wardroom, before it would be lifted by the crane from the M/T Jascon 25.

The 68-meter USS Guardian left Subic on Jan. 15 at 9:55 a.m. and ran aground at the atoll on Jan. 17 between 2:30 and 3 a.m. while traveling toward Indonesia.

There were 79 crewmembers on board. The ship was reportedly carrying 15,000 gallons of automotive diesel oil but this had been extracted to prevent a possible oil spill.

The incident has damaged an estimated 4,000 square meters of coral reefs. The Tubbataha Reef is a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Tubbataha Reef, covering an estimated 10,000 hectares, is home to at least 600 species of fish, 360 species of corals, 11 species of sharks, 13 species of dolphins and whales, and 100 species of birds, and also serves as nesting ground for hawksbill and green sea turtles.