Reef Rammers Hailed as Heroes

http://www.commondreams.org/further/2013/03/06-3



Photo of the USS Guardian run aground in the Tubbataha reef

Reef Rammers Hailed as Heroes
by Andrea Germanos
03.06.13 - 4:30 PM

Engage in civil disobedience to prevent runaway climate change, and you might get arrested. Ruin 4,000 square meters of a World Heritage-listed coral reef, and you're a hero. Photo of the USS Guardian run aground in the Tubbataha reef: (Photo: U.S. Navy)

That's right. A hero.

The crew members of the USS Guardian, the US Navy minesweeper that rammed into the pristine coral reef at the Tubbataha National Marine Park in the Philippines back in January, were hailed for "extraordinary heroism" at a decommissioning ceremony for the ship on Wednesday.

The crew reportedly ignored warnings to avoid the area when it rammed into the reef, causing damage to at least 4,000 square meters of coral reefs. The ship couldn't even be tugged away safely — it's still being extricated piece by piece, with the reef serving as an industrial operating table for the removal, which has been thwarted by ongoing bad weather.



unhappycamper comment: Here is yesterday's stripes.com article about these 'heros':

http://www.stripes.com/news/navy/grounded-minesweeper-decommissioned-at-somber-ceremony-1.210668


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On Monday (3.4):

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/297547/news/regions/uss-guardian-salvage-workers-make-progress-remove-bridge-deck

USS Guardian salvage workers make progress, remove bridge deck
March 4, 2013 4:10am

Salvage crews on Sunday removed the bridge deck of the USS Guardian as they continued to dismantle the grounded minesweeper stuck at Tubbataha Reef.

Task Force Tubbataha and Coast Guard Palawan head Commodore Enrico Evangelista said this was part of the superstructure's second level, radio dzBB's Cecilia Villarosa reported.

Evangelista added that work on the second level was finished, they are now targeting the next level and the hull.

Good weather so far has allowed salvage teams to work on the USS Guardian, which had run aground at Tubbataha Reef last Jan. 17.