US Navy ship accidentally fires on Polish port

[vikingBerserker]

Navy ship accidentally fires on Polish port - CNN.com

Washington (CNN) -- A crew member aboard a U.S. Navy ship accidentally fired a machine gun into the Polish port city of Gdynia on Wednesday while cleaning the weapon, Navy officials said Friday.

Three rounds were fired from an M240 machine gun into the town but no injuries or damage were reported, officials said.

The gun, aboard the USS Ramage, a Navy destroyer, is used to defend the ship in close combat.

Navy officials said a crew member was cleaning the weapon when it accidentally discharged.

The incident happened as the ship was in port after retuning from an international exercise in the Baltic Sea. It was preparing to leave later that day, the Navy said.

Polish military police boarded the ship to investigate and Navy officials said the crew of the Ramage fully cooperated. No U.S. sailors were taken into custody by Polish authorities, Navy officials said.

There was no immediate word of a U.S. Navy investigation into the incident.

 

[B-17engineer]

Uh oh! That is a big mistake.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Oh god!

Sorry, but I see no excuse for this. Everyone makes mistakes, but a soldier (sailor, airman, etc) should not make these kind of mistakes. I know these things happen, but stuff like this just pisses me off.

I guess I have a real problem with it because a jack ass was clearing his M9 (improperly I might add) one time and it went off right behind my head firing into the barrel. Scared the **** out of me, put a ringing in my ears and could have killed or seriously hurt me.

Glad to hear nobody was hurt, but I hope that this sailor is reprimanded.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

It could have been a lot worse. Just thankful that it was not.

 

[GrauGeist]

Man, I agree...a soldier/sailor is trained in the proper handling of weapons, a mistake like this is just effin' stupid.

Thank God no one was hurt, and hopefully the Poles don't get too uptight about this (though they have every reason to be).

 

[RabidAlien]

One bullet left in the chamber I can see happening (no excuse, but it happens). But....THREE??? That's not just checkin the chamber, that's leavin the belt attached! Even I'M not that stupid!!!!

 

[Trebor]

I was thinking the same thing, RA. this guy's a first class idiot

 

[jamierd]

I f the US Navy have any sense at all he will be a first class civilian idiot by monday morning

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I f the US Navy have any sense at all he will be a first class civilian idiot by monday morning

No he deserves a reprimand and re-training.

 

[Wayne Little]

Wow....thank christ no one was hurt!

 

[lesofprimus]

What a dumbass....

All I can say is whoever discharged the weapon, and Im sure it was some lowly E-2 or some sorry-ass Boatswainsmate, they are going before Captains Mast for this one..... Probably get off with forfiture of pay and extra duties....

International incidents such as this really piss the Navy hierarchy off....

 

[stona]

Do I understand that this "unlawful discharge" of a weapon occurred as this guy was "cleaning" a weapon that was loaded and made ready. That is literally incredible to anyone who has had the most rudimentary weapons training or even handled fire arms in a civilian context. A fourteen year old cadet knows better. I can't believe that is what happened.
It's a crap excuse like "sorry we flew 150 miles past our destination,we were having a row". I suspect there was some arseing about going on.We'll never know.
Steve

 

[RabidAlien]

I can see the guy getting busted down to E-nothing, reduced pay, extra duties, etc, if it happened out at sea or somewhere in the US. But in a foreign port, creating an international incident (which the Poles could have pushed for, if any damages/injuries were found), I'm afraid they're gonna come down on him/her with both feet and every Book they have available.

 

[lesofprimus]

Gotta agree with u, but then again, the Navy in its infinite wisdom could just hush hush it and say the sailors been "transferred" to another command for re-training and bury him somewhere invisible... We probably will never know exactly what happened on deck...

Ive seen it done before, and u have too probably...

 

[Butters]

Now that a state of war exists between Poland and the US, will the rest of the Nato member nations be allowed to choose sides, or are they obligated by treaty to declare war against the aggressor nation, ie; the USA?

An apprehensive Canuck wants to know!

JL

 

[vikingBerserker]

I was thinking the last a warship fired in a Polish port, all hell broke out.

 

[stona]

Now that a state of war exists between Poland and the US, will the rest of the Nato member nations be allowed to choose sides, or are they obligated by treaty to declare war against the aggressor nation, ie; the USA?

An apprehensive Canuck wants to know!

JL

Very good. As a Brit can I say "not bloody Poland again!"
Steve

 

[fly boy]

Wait, doesn't gun cleaning in the armed forces include taking off the ammo and clearing of the chamber?

 

[piet]

let him kiss the gunner's daughter