Navy Sub, Transport Ships in Minor Collision off Oman; No Injuries

WASHINGTON - A U.S. Navy submarine and an amphibious transport ship collided off the coast of Oman on Sunday as they were attempting to get into position to transfer two sailors going home on emergency leave. No one was injured. <br> <br> The incident punctured the fuel tank of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Ogden and caused some damage to the submarine USS Greeneville, a Navy officer said Monday, speaking on the condition of anonymity. <br> <br> The submarine was the same one that had been involved in a collision with a Japanese fishing boat off the Hawaiian coast on Feb. 9, 2001, in which nine Japanese died. The sub had been demonstrating an emergency surfacing drill for 16 guest civilians on board. <br> <br> Initial reports from the scene in Oman said the ships were on the surface about 40 miles off the coast in the Northern Arabian Sea. &#34;Both ships made contact in their stern area. Basically, their back sides bumped together,&#34; said the Navy officer. <br> <br> The collision occurred at 9:55 a.m. local time, said the officer. <br> <br> Two sailors from the sub were being transferred because of deaths in their families. They had been granted emergency leaves, the officer said. <br> <br> Both ships have remained at sea, the officer said. It wasn&#39;t immediately clear where or how the ships might be repaired. <br> <br> &#34;Both ships have reported that they are not impaired in their ability to operate safely at sea,&#34; the officer said. <br> <br> The collision made a 5-inch-by-18-inch puncture in one of the Ogden&#39;s fuel tanks 15 feet below the water line on its right side. Several thousand gallons of light diesel fuel has leaked out into the sea, the officer said. <br> <br> The Greeneville&#39;s stern plane was damaged, which is located at the back end of the vessel and acts as a wing to control the angle of the ship&#39;s movement, the officer said.<br>

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