THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 13, 1995 TAG: 9510130506
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Two practice bombing incidents near the Puerto Rican island of Vieques have caused the Norfolk-based carrier George Washington to stop its exercises for a day while it reviews safety measures.
Neither incident caused injuries.
However, one Puerto Rican fisherman wants the Navy to buy him a new boat, claiming he ruined his boat's engines while speeding from an incoming flight of bombers.
Another civilian claims he suffers stress and high blood pressure because the observation tower he normally sits in was struck by an inert bomb. He wasn't in it at the time.
Atlantic Fleet officials in Norfolk said Thursday the incidents were minor, but the ``safety stand-down'' was ordered by the carrier group commander as a precaution.
``During a safety stand-down we look at all our procedures and practices to make sure that everyone on the ship is doing their jobs safely, including our air crews,'' said Rear Adm. R.L. Ellis Jr. in a statement released in Puerto Rico. Ellis is the commander of the George Washington carrier group.
The first incident occurred Oct. 3 in a warning area off the southeastern coast of Vieques.
An A-6 Intruder attack jet dropped two inert practice mines 50 yards from a fishing boat that had re-entered the warning area after first being escorted away.
The fishing boat apparently thought the exercise was over after the first flight of attack bombers passed overhead. When a second flight appeared, the fishing boat left the warning area at a high speed, officials said.
The Navy stopped the exercise immediately. However, the boat owner later complained his engines were damaged when he had to leave so fast.
The second incident took place Saturday night when an F/A-18 Hornet from the carrier dropped one 25-pound inert practice bomb onto the roof of the Vieques target range observation post during a night bombing run. There was minor damage to the third floor of the observation post.
The United States, which bought 33,000 acres of the 50,000-acre island in 1942, has wrestled for years with protests from fishermen in the area. The Navy and Marine Corps see the island's use as the last place close enough to the East Coast of the United States where they can conduct realistic training. Eight miles southeast of Puerto Rico, it is a 2 1/2-by-20-mile island with no timber or running water in its hills.
In 1979, Vieques fishermen and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico filed suit to stop the Navy's use of the island, claiming that the explosions damage their environment, violate federal water-pollution laws and hurt the fishing industry.
They have protested the maneuvers repeatedly, using their boats on some occasions to disrupt Navy training and throwing brickbats at Navy dignitaries. In 1981, a Navy admiral trying to attend a welcoming ceremony honoring his first visit to Vieques was held at bay in his Navy launch nearly four hours by angry fishermen who tried to foul the boat's propeller with ropes.
In 1982 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Navy may continue to use the range even if it violates federal water pollution laws.
Despite the disagreements, the Navy and fishermen have generally gotten along better during recent years. One reason is that there are fewer and smaller military exercises in the region today. by CNB