October 10, 2005: The new, 3,200, ton Saudi frigate Makkah was run aground in December of 2004 by a chuckleheaded prince trying to be a naval officer. Well, the saga of the 3,200 ton Makkah is not yet over. It took some weeks for the ship to be salvaged. She was then towed to port between two very large salvage pontoons. The ship proved to have a broken keel - effectively rendering her a near total loss. Nevertheless, the Saudis decided to "repair" her. Since there were not dry docks in Saudi Arabia that could accomplish this, a floating dock was chartered and towed to the port of Jiddah. The ship remains under "repair." As for the princely would-be sailor, he was promoted to a desk job.
