Officials: U.S. warship damaged reef

HONOLULU, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The USS Port Royal damaged a coral reef when it ran aground this month in Hawaii, officials said.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported Friday that, in addition to causing reef damage, the warship dumped 7,000 gallons of waste water to protect the crew.

"Although initial reports indicated that the ship had grounded on a rock and sand bottom, our subsequent surveys have shown that there is in fact coral reef," Department of Land and Natural Resources Director Laura Thielen said. "Divers from our Division of Aquatic Resources are now working in cooperation with counterparts from the Navy to ensure that no further damage occurs, and to map the full extent of the grounding scar."

The newspaper noted that the U.S. Navy initially failed to tell state officials and the public about the waste-water discharge. The Navy said the waste water consisted mostly of sea water, used to flush waste.

"Keep in mind that while the ship was aground for those 78 hours, the Navy was concerned foremost about the safety of the crew, freeing the ship and minimizing damage to the environment," said Rear Adm. Joseph Walsh, deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet. "We regret this unintentional grounding, and we are glad that we were able to refloat the ship without injury to the crew while minimizing environmental harm."