Grounding
Irving Johnson was renowned for his innate knowledge of the South Pacific, making him a natural choice in advising the Pacific Fleet the intricacies of various tides, swells, currents, depths and shoals around the treacherous reefs and atolls of the South Seas.
On March 21, 2005, Irving Johnson went aground on a sandbar outside the entrance to Channel Islands Harbor. All crew and passengers were rescued safely, but the vessel was stranded on the beach for several days before being pulled off. The local Coast Guard said no other vessel had ever survived being grounded through so many tide cycles intact. Suffering from serious damage which compromised the forward portion of the vessel and flooded the vessel with seawater, she underwent an extensive reconstruction and was returned to service in early 2006.
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