It is never a comforting signal when the U. S. Navy orders the vessels of the Atlantic Fleet home ported in Norfolk to sea in advance of an approaching hurricane. It's a clear signal that the Navy believe the area may get hit fairly significantly. The Virginian Pilot reports that this afternoon the order to sail has been issued by the Naval command in Norfolk:
The Navy ordered Friday nearly all its warships in Hampton Roads to head out to sea to ride out Hurricane Sandy, which is making its way up the East Coast.
Adm. Bill Gortney, head of the Navy's Fleet Forces Command, gave the order Friday afternoon for at least 26 ships, according to a Navy news release. Weather conditions at sea should be calmer than along the coast.
“Based on the current track of the storm, we made the decision to begin to sortie the fleet,” Gortney said in the release. “The current timeline allows them enough time to transit safely out of the path of the storm."
Under the order, at least 21 vessels currently docked at Norfolk Naval Station and two at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach will head to sea by Saturday morning. Included in the order are three supply ships operated by Military Sealift Command.
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