Missile Accident on Ship in Seal Beach Forces Bay Closure
An unarmed guided missile slipped from its launcher aboard a ship at Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station Thursday morning, cracking its plastic tip and triggering an immediate, precautionary shutdown of Anaheim Bay for a time.
Navy officials said the incident, which occurred during unloading of munitions on the frigate Jarrett, caused no explosion or injuries and only slight damage to the surface-to-air missile.
At the request of the Navy, the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol blocked all but military boats from the bay and Huntington Harbour for about an hour. The Navy’s safety rules require that the harbor be closed to the public when an abnormality occurs during loading or unloading of explosives.
“Any time you have an explosive device that gets rough handling, you have to be very cautious,” said Al Christopher, executive director of the base. “But as we expected, there was no hazard.”
It is the first time that the Navy has closed the popular harbor to pleasure craft, and base officials said they could recall no similar mishaps during munitions handling.
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