US Warship on Sochi Olympic Security Detail Runs Aground
20:42 19/02/2014
MOSCOW, February 19 (RIA Novosti) – A US warship dispatched to the Black Sea to provide security at the Sochi Olympics suffered minor damage after running aground at a Turkish port last week, the US Navy said Tuesday.
The USS Taylor, a guided-missile frigate, was later able to dock without incident and no crew injuries were reported, according to the statement.
The ship struck ground February 12 while preparing to moor for refueling at the Black Sea city of Samsun, damaging its propeller blades and spilling 175 gallons (665 liters) of fuel, according to ABC news.
The vessel, which ABC said had remained in Samsun since the incident, is one of two ships tasked by the US Sixth Fleet with maintaining a presence in the Black Sea during Russia's first Winter Games.
The deployment last month came amid concern over the safety of US nationals at the Games following twin suicide bombings in the Russian city of Volgograd in December that killed 34 people.
The ships, which have been publicly broadcasting their locations through a navigation system designed to prevent collisions, have been keeping station as close as 18 nautical miles (33 kilometers) off the coast of Sochi, just outside Russian territorial waters.
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