LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Navy ships and submarines based in Hawaii were ordered Wednesday to move away with a Category-5 storm, Hurricane Lane, barreling down on the islands.
The Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam said on Twitter that ships and submarines not undergoing maintenance have begun to sortie as Hurricane Lane approached the islands.
U.S. Air Force aircraft normally based at Hickam Field was also preparing to depart for other locations, it added.
Naval Station Pearl Harbor is the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet and the Hickam Air Force Base is home to two airlift squadrons and a fighter squadron. The two military bases were merged in 2010.
The base's spokesperson Chuck Anthony was quoted on Wednesday by the Navy Times website as saying that warships will stay at sea until the storm passes and aircraft on the joint base have already departed or are preparing to leave.
Hurricane Lane, which on Tuesday night was briefly upgraded to a Category-5 storm, the most severe grade, is being called the biggest storm to approach the Hawaiian Islands in some 24 years.
The islands, forecast to be hit by the storm from Friday night to Saturday, are under hurricane warnings and watches. The weather service predicts maximum sustained winds of 249 km per hour.
