Howard forced to spend Thanksgiving at sea

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Howard forced to spend Thanksgiving at sea
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Nov 26, 2008 20:01:23 EST

SAN DIEGO — Holidays spent at sea are something familiar to most sailors. So, a homecoming just in time to join the family for a holiday is a treasured thing.

But sometimes, something throws a wrench into the best-laid plans.

On the final leg home from its six-month deployment with the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, the guided missile destroyer Howard suffered some problems with its propulsion system, which Navy officials said forced the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyer to cut its speed.

For crew of the Howard — which recently suffered a “degradation” of its controllable pitch propulsion system — that means a Thanksgiving spent at sea.

Its planned Tuesday homecoming had originally been pushed to Friday. But as of Wednesday afternoon, Lt. Cmdr. Brad Fagan, a Naval Surface Forces-Pacific spokesman in Coronado, Calif., said Howard is now expected home Saturday.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/11/navy_howard_112608/%2e