USNS Navajo goes to Yukon territory

WASHINGTON (USTCNS) --- Military Sealift Command employees are well known for their generosity and support when it comes to community outreach programs. Whether it's helping restore civic pride through beautification projects, assisting at homeless shelters or serving Thanksgiving meals at a soup kitchen, MSC answers the call.

For the crew of USNS Navajo and the Navy divers aboard, the commitment to the people of the city of San Diego goes deep - about 100-feet deep. That's the depth the Navajo crew went to help the San Diego Oceans Foundation.

The foundation arranged to have the former Canadian frigate HMCS Yukon scuttled off the coast of San Diego in 2000. After sinking, HMCS Yukon was supposed to come to rest on her keel in 100-foot water. In this position, the ship would continue her life as an attraction for area divers. HMCS Yukon, however, had other plans.

The ship sank before it could be made safe for recreational divers and before all the necessary holes could be made in the bulkheads.

When the foundation searched for a way to make the ship safe, Navajo responded.

From March 4-16, Navajo served as a platform for Navy divers who were creating the holes intended to allow easier, safer access for recreational divers. While the foundation benefited from Navajo's work, so did MSC.

"We really had a dual purpose in doing this," said Capt. Paul Nies, master of Navajo. "It was a public service, but it also allowed the Navy divers to get some training and get certified."

The crew of Navajo got all they could out of the work they were doing on HMCS Yukon. "We were constantly ferrying divers in and out so we could get as many divers as much training as possible," said Capt. Nies. Despite the effort, however, Navajo wasn't able to finish the project. "The weather degenerated pretty quickly out there, so we had to secure operations before we finished," said Capt. Nies.

The former HMCS Yukon now sits quietly on the bottom of the sea two miles off San Diego, but Capt. Nies is unsure when the job will be finished. While it's MSC tradition to help out when it can, Navajo has operational commitments through most of the rest of the year, Capt. Nies said. So whenever they can fit it into the schedule, Navajo may return to help the local community, but that's what MSC always does.

Military Sealift Command, the ocean transportation provider for the Department of Defense, operates about 110 noncombatant Navy ships. MSC ship missions vary from the transport and afloat prepositioning of defense cargo; to underway replenishment and other direct support to Navy ships at sea; to at-sea data collection for the U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies.

(FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS)