Everett frigate’s mishap caught Navy’s eye

By SUSANNA RAY

Herald Writer

An accident involving an Everett-based Navy frigate was one of eight in the past year that led officials to order a one-day break in operations to focus on safety, the Navy Times newspaper reported.

The USS Ingraham scraped the bottom of the Fremont Cut on its way back to Everett after visiting Seattle for boating season’s opening day in early May.

The information was not released to the public at the time because it was considered minor, said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Fenick, spokesman for Navy Region Northwest. No one was injured, and the ship had limited damage to its propeller, costing taxpayers about $30,000.

But the Navy Times reported Monday Othat a spate of eight collisions and groundings since October 1999 had prompted Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark on Sept. 14 to order a standdown for all ships and submarines.

Clark told sailors to spend a full day focusing on basic seamanship, navigation and leadership. It was the first such standdown since 1989.

The article stated that the incidents were alarming Navy officials already worried about their overworked and undermanned sea force.

None of the mishaps resulted in death. They ranged from minor groundings, such as the Ingraham’s, to major collisions, such as the one near Hawaii in July between the amphibious transport dock ship Denver and the oiler Yukon. The crash tore an enormous hole in the Denver’s hull.

In the Oct. 9 edition, the weekly newspaper reports that two more accidents occurred in the final weeks of September. Two ships bumped in the Mediterranean and another briefly ran aground off the coast of Texas. Both were minor.

The Navy hasn’t yet released its findings on what caused the Ingraham accident, Fenick said.

The warship went to Seattle on a much-publicized trip May 5, when it successfully squeezed through the Ballard Locks and into Lake Union. It was moored at the NOAA pier that weekend for public tours, and then left at 5:51 a.m. Monday to return to Everett.

At 6:34 a.m., as it was going back through the Fremont Cut, the frigate lost its steering control from the bridge, Fenick said. The crew immediately switched to manual steering by sailors stationed near the engine room and tried to figure out the problem.

"At 6:37, they felt some slight shuddering and they assumed the ship had touched bottom on the starboard (right) side," Fenick said.

Officials had spent months planning the difficult trip, since the Ingraham is 453 feet long, 45 feet wide and 124 feet tall, and the Fremont Cut is an average of 150 to 175 feet across.

On the way to Seattle, the frigate’s captain, Cmdr. Rich Fitzpatrick, had remarked that at one point there was only 4 to 5 feet of water below the ship and about 10 feet — "but it looked a lot closer" — between the ship’s antenna and the bottom of the Aurora bridge.

The planners had taken care to provide a contingency plan in case something went awry. Two tugs were attached to the ship that morning, one in front and one in back, with slack lines. They immediately tightened the lines to keep the Ingraham in place.

Five minutes later, the bridge had its steering control back, Fenick said, and 15 minutes after that the ship was back on its own power, "and they just proceeded on slowly through the Fremont Cut and into the Ballard Locks."

Once the Ingraham got into the Puget Sound and picked up speed, sailors felt it shudder, so it continued on to Everett at a slower speed of 10 knots, or about 12 miles per hour. Divers here discovered that the five propeller blades were damaged, but there were no marks on the outside of the ship.

Fenick said he didn’t know why sailors lost steering control or how they got it back. In the meantime, the Ingraham has a new propeller at a cost of about $30,000.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Mx. Kenbie reads ‘My Shadow is Purple’ during the Everett Pride Block Party on Saturday, June 21, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I feel safe here’: Community celebrates third-annual Everett Pride

Amid a drizzle of rain, people lined Wetmore Avenue on… Continue reading

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

PUD Manager of Generation Operation and Engineering Scott Spahr talks about the different gages and monitoring on the control panel at the Henry M. Jackson Hydroelectric Project on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Sultan, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County PUD to change its contract with Bonneville this fall

The contract change will enable PUD to supply more reliable and affordable energy, Senior Power Supply Manager Garrison Marr said.

Signs hang on the outside of the Early Learning Center on the Everett Community College campus on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021 in Everett, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Court docs: Everett Community College decided on ELC closure in March

The college didn’t notify parents or teachers until May that it would close the early education center.

The City of Edmonds police, court and council chambers complex on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds Municipal Court focuses on Blake cases ahead of state funding cuts

Starting July 1, the state will have 80% less funding for refunds and administrative costs involved in vacating felony drug possession cases.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.