We Stand Corrected

We Stand Corrected:

An official of the Department of Transportation, contacted Captain Bushy for verification of our story, this is the reply:

First, please consider that this is NOT an official response from the Department of Transportation.

1. This is the ship's third training voyage, not second.

2. The ship did not "have to be escorted into Norfolk" ? it arrived there as scheduled. MMA scheduled Norfolk as a bunker port, and the ship was scheduled to depart from Norfolk for Europe.

3. The ship did not call Norfolk as a result of mechanical problems (see bunker notes above); but the ship did experience mechanical problems enroute.

4. ENTERPRISE is not a 10-day reserve troopship. That RRF designation was dropped in late 2003.

A few other points are noteworthy:

1. The ship is fundamentally mechanically reliable. Her propulsion plant has operated reliably on every voyage ? delivery transit from West Coast in 1999, Conversion Builder's Trials and delivery voyage in 2003, training voyages in 2004 and 2005.

2. The 2005 training voyage was delayed while routine repairs were completed to her boilers. The work was defaulted once, then delayed during the ship's extended 2004 drydocking period, and finally, was impacted over the course of the 2004 holidays. Once the work was completed, the ship sailed (one week delay) and operated satisfactorily.

3. Current mechanical problems are confined to a small number of machinery items. It is not at all unusual for ships to require several days or more to troubleshoot and determine the cause of mechanical problems, and then have to source and acquire appropriate repair parts. Marine mechanical systems are complex and subject to variable load conditions not normally experienced on analogous shoreside power plants. Shoreside plants also do not have to compensate for pitch, yaw and roll. MMA students are experiencing the real seafaring life ? this is a training ship, not a cruise ship.

From 1986 to 1999, while assigned to the Ready Reserve Force, the ship was not "dormant." The CAPE BON was maintained in an RRF-10 readiness condition, with a continuous program of maintenance, including regularly scheduled drydockings and periodic activations for dock and sea trials.

As of yesterday, this is the update as posted on MMA's website:

Here's the latest update on our repairs:

1) The evaporator pumps arrived from Milwaukee and are at the shore shop being prepped for installation tonight - we hope to test them tomorrow afternoon.

2) Wartsila diesel generator is operational. It was run under full load for 12-hours last night.

3) The turbogenerator condensate pump is at the shop and due back tomorrow AM.

Cadets have been kept in "at sea status", and we have not missed any scheduled training. Liberty was granted last night to two divisions. Tonight, the other two.

Regarding the media reports, the ship was not towed in. A tug escort is given for any ship of this size coming into port. The Maritime Incident Response Team attendence was (alumnus)Billy Burkitt's father, coming over to say "hi."

A final conversation with Captain Bushy this afternoon indicated that the work on the evaporators is moving forward quickly and, by present indications, with success. A final decision regarding the itinerary has not been made and is unlikely until the evaporators are tested tomorrow.