Four U.S. Army vessels supporting the “floating pier” in Gaza broke from their moorings Saturday and ran aground, with two of the four beaching themselves on the Israeli coast.
U.S. soldiers were forced to go ashore on the beach near Ashdod, in Israel, in an effort to free the vessels, which had faced bad weather and high seas.
Israelis look on as US soldiers stand a military vessel that ran aground at a beach in the coastal city of Ashdod on May 25, 2024. The US military said four of its vessels, supporting a temporary pier built to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, had run aground in heavy seas. (Photo by Oren Ziv / AFP) (Photo by OREN ZIV/AFP via Getty Images)
The Navy Times reported:
Four U.S. Army vessels supporting the maritime humanitarian aid mission in Gaza broke free from their moorings due to heavy sea states Saturday, U.S. Central Command said. … Two of the vessels are anchored on the beach near the floating pier off the Gaza coast, while the third and fourth vessels are beached on the Israeli coast near Ashkelon, a coastal city approximately eight miles north of the Gaza Strip. … No injuries have been reported and the U.S.-built pier remains fully functional, CENTCOM said, adding that no U.S. personnel will enter Gaza.
Video circulated online of efforts to free the vessels:
Day 2 of the US army landing craft LCM 8558 on the beach of Ashdod along with a tug that is often referred to as part of the floating pier but is actually a kind of vessel used to help move the pier. The tug broke free when the floating pier was being taken to Ashdod due to heavy… pic.twitter.com/NHwWBUCu16
— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) May 26, 2024
