WASHINGTON, Sept 16: US warships began steaming out of the giant US naval base at Norfolk, Virginia Tuesday and warplanes scattered to inland air bases out of the path of Hurricane Isabel bearing down on the US East Coast, US military officials said.

As many as 40 submarines and warships, including the carrier USS Ronald Reagan, will get underway Tuesday to ride out Hurricane Isabel at sea, the US navy said in a statement.

US military aircraft, including the president’s plane, Air Force One, have been ordered to bases farther inland, officials said.

A spokesman for the Atlantic Fleet said the ships were scheduled to leave port every 10 to 15 minutes.

The order “is for all the ships in Norfolk, all the ones that can go,” said Navy Chief Scott Boyle.

Ships undergoing repairs and unable to get underway will weather the storm at shipyards.—AFP