The USS Guardian still standing on its reef in Philippines

It is now eight days since the minesweeper USS Guardian grounded on Tubbataha Reef, Philippines.Significant resources have been deployed in order to get out of this mess. Thus, the survey vessel USNS Bowditch U.S. and Philippine tender Corregidor joined the area. But for the moment, USS Guardian rest failed. The operation is more delicate than the accident occurred in very shallow water and in a protected nature reserve. It therefore requires the utmost caution to avoid pollution. The latest images provided by the U.S. Navy shows the minesweeper moved, initiating a rotation on itself, that its wooden hull covered with plastic, no doubt, very moderately appreciated.

Belonging to the U.S. 7th Fleet and based as its three sister ships in Sasebo, Japan, USS Guardian is part of a series of 14 units of the Avenger class, commissioned between 1987 and 1994. These large minesweepers, 68.7 meters long, have a displacement of 1300 tons burden.