Bridge deck of USS Guardian removed

MANILA, Philippines - Salvage teams successfully removed yesterday another part of the US Navy minesweeper USS Guardian that ran aground at Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea last January.

Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, Philippine Coast Guard Palawan District commander, said the salvors dismantled the 01-B level or the bridge deck of the vessel at 1:20 p.m. yesterday.

“The 01 level is the whole superstructure at the main deck. The 01-B level is at the rear portion of the 01 level,” Evangelista said.

The 68-meter USS Guardian left Subic on Jan. 15 and ran aground in Tubbataha Reef on Jan. 17 between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. while the ship was en route to Indonesia.

There were 79 crewmembers on board. The ship was reportedly carrying 15,000 gallons of automotive diesel oil that has been pumped out after the mishap to prevent an oil spill that would destroy the coral reef.

Tubbataha Reef is one of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage sites.

It has been estimated that the incident damaged at least 4,000 square meters of coral reef.

The estimated 10,000 hectares of coral in Tubbataha are home to about 600 species of fish, 360 species of corals, 11 species of sharks, 13 species of dolphins and whales, 100 species of birds, and also serve as the nesting ground for hawksbill and green sea turtles.