US warship deployed near Sochi runs aground at Turkish port

WASHINGTON

The frigate USS Taylor ran aground as it was preparing to moor in Samsun, which is located about 370 kilometers southwest of Sochi. DHA photo

The U.S. Navy said one of two U.S. warships dispatched to the Black Sea before the Sochi Winter Olympics is being inspected for damage after it ran aground at a Turkish port last week, The Associated Press reported.

The frigate USS Taylor ran aground Feb. 12 as it was preparing to moor at Turkey’s Black Sea province of Samsun, about 230 miles southwest of Sochi. The Navy said the Taylor was able to dock without further incident and no one was injured.

Around 200 liters of fuel is disembogued when one of the fans of the ship was broken, according to the daily Hürriyet.

The Taylor and the USS Mount Whitney were sent to the Black Sea in early February. The deployment was announced after an uptick in reports of security threats against the Olympics, although the Pentagon said the U.S. warships were deployed as part of normal military planning and could perform any required missions, including communications or evacuations.