US Navy ship runs aground on coral reef in the Philippines

The US Navy minesweeper, the USS Guardian ran aground on the Tubataha Reef at 2:25 a.m. local time while transiting in the Sulu Sea. The reef is located almost 400 miles south of the Philippine capital of Manila. The ship remains stuck on the reef. No injuries were reported among the ship’s crew of 81 and there were no indications of a fuel leak.

The USS Guardian is an Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship. The USS Guardian has a length of 224 ft and 1,367 long ton displacement with a 39 ft beam and 13 ft draft. According to Wikipedia: Guardian was laid down on 8 May 1985 by Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin; launched on 20 June 1987; and commissioned on 16 December 1989.

The US NAvy released a statement saying: “The Avenger-class ship had just completed a port call in Subic Bay, Olongapo City and was en route to her next port of call when the grounding occurred. The ship is currently stuck on the reef, approximately 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan Island. The crew is currently working to determine the best method of safely extracting the ship.”