The Spanish Navy minesweeper Turia ran aground on August 27, off La Manga, Spain. The ship was participating in a search and rescue operation for a downed Spanish Air Force C-101 training jet, when the grounding took place.
After the incident, some of the ship’s crew, as well as a dive team, remained on board the ship during the night, in order to monitor any changes.
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The ship has taken on water, with flooding reported in several compartments, according to the Spanish Navy. Because of the weather, a dive team could not immediately evaluate the full extent of the hull damage, however that was possible on August 28, as conditions improved enough to facilitate divers examine the exterior of the vessel.
In addition, the salvage team leveraged the favourable weather conditions, in order to bring in a barge and start lightering off the Turia’s fuel, with 15 tonnes having been removed. This limits the risk of pollution, while a lighter vessels would be easier to refloat.
The ultimate target is to tow the vessel into Cartagena, to be repaired. To assist in the salvage operation, the Spanish Navy has deployed a submarine rescue, along with a dive support vessel.
As for the downed aircraft, it fell off La Manga del Mar Menor, during a training flight, and the pilot lost his life.
The search for the plane’s wreckage is continuing, and Turia’s sister ships Sella and Tambre are also taking part in the effort.
