U.K. Navy ship rescue delayed

The HMS Nottingham has been stranded at picturesque Lord Howe Island since July 7

LORD HOWE ISLAND (CNN) -- Salvage experts are battling uncooperative weather in a bid to rescue the UK warship Nottingham after it hit a rock in the Tasman Sea almost a month ago.

HMS Nottingham has been stranded since it hit Wolf Rock, just off the coast of Australia's Lord Howe Island, on July 7.

Attempts by tugboats to begin moving the warship were planned for Monday, but have had to be postponed because of windy conditions making the seas too rough.

The British Navy now hopes to begin the salvage attempt on Tuesday, but forecasters are predicting more stormy conditions over the next few days which may hamper the rescue bid.

Lord Howe Island, home to just 350 people, is 550 kilometers (240 miles) off Australia's eastern coastline.

If weather conditions improve, the Nottingham, a 3,560 tonne destroyer, will be towed to the Australian port city of Newcastle -- a trip that will take between three and four days.

British Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander Mike Souter told Australian Associated Press that weather conditions overnight had been very windy but were expected to improve.

He said the tow could go ahead as early as Tuesday morning if the weather allowed.

Towed backwards

None of the 250 crew members was hurt when the accident occurred and most of those onboard have been flown to Newcastle and will rejoin their vessel once structural repairs have been carried out.

While the ship is no longer on the rock, the full extent of the damage cannot be determined until Nottingham is put in a dry dock in Newcastle.

Five forward compartments on the Nottingham were flooded when it hit the rock.

The warship will be towed backwards to Newcastle to minimize further flooding.

The cause of the incident is now the subject of a Royal Navy board of inquiry.