Hawaii To Claim Damages for Grounding of Navy Warship

Editor's Note- 

We have been following this story and the next chapter has unfolded -- The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources will, in fact, claim damages for the the Navy ship that grounded on a coral reef.

The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources has formally notified the U.S. Navy that the State of Hawaii has identified substantial coral reef damage caused by the grounding of the guided missile cruiser U.S.S. Port Royal in February. Immediate measures are needed to stabilize injured coral and to prevent further damage by widespread debris to other areas of the reef, state officials say.

In a letter to the U.S. Pacific Fleet sent Wednesday, DLNR Chairperson Laura Thielen says the state intends to make a claim for damages that include "the cost of emergency mitigation to prevent further damage; the value of the coral reef substrate damaged by the grounding of the Port Royal and associated attempts to free the 567-foot long vessel; and other secondary and tertiary damage to the reef ecosystem."

"The reef that was injured is an ancient one, full of coral colonies some of which took hundreds of years to reach their present size. A complex reef structure such as the one that was present prior to this injury forms numerous and intricate houses for the myriad of fish, invertebrates and sea turtles that use this reef for shelter and food resources," Thielen said.