The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald, damaged by colliding with a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel, is seen at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2017. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. warship stayed on deadly collision course despite warning - container ship captain
A U.S. warship struck by a container vessel in Japanese waters failed to respond to warning signals or take evasive action before a collision that killed seven of its crew, according to a report of the incident by the Philippine cargo ship's captain.
Multiple U.S. and Japanese investigations are under way into how the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald and the much larger ACX Crystal container ship collided in clear weather south of Tokyo Bay in the early hours of June 17.
In the first detailed account from one of those directly involved, the cargo ship's captain said the ACX Crystal had signaled with flashing lights after the Fitzgerald "suddenly" steamed on to a course to cross its path.
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WNU Editor: It is too early to make any conclusions. The U.S. Navy and the Japanese have just started their investigation .... and I am sure that we are going to get the answers on how this accident happened soon enough.
6 comments:
This collision required several people / departments not doing their jobs. Failures of leadership on several levels, across several departments. That kind of slack starts at the top.
Found some pilothouse audio of the 2012 USS Porter (DDG) collision with a Japanese tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Pretty chaotic. Most of the conversation is confused back and forth between the Capt and Helmsman. Then CRUNCH!
The Capt was fired.
http://gcaptain.com/intense-bridge-conversation-porter/
There is a 100% of something unexpected coming to light.
Why was there search and rescue when 7 bodies were trapped in bunk?
Why was the bunk not opened for several days?
Something is rotten in Denmark.
Russ,
Every officer is trained in navigation and maneuvering board, unless they are special like a Chaplain, doctor, or dentist. You do not give those people grief for obvious reasons.
So who did not know what or who forgot what?
Skills are perishable.
The civilian captain does seem weird. How is it that he knows what happened? the destroyer could have been cut in half or at least damaged more. So did the container ship take some type of preventative action? If the container ship take preventative action why did it take them 8 minutes to turn around? It is not really adding up.
The USS Porter, on the Captains orders, attempted to cross the bow of a Supertanker, ( big no-no, USN Col. regs, page 76),
they barely made it, only to find themselves in the path of a second Supertanker that they hadn't "seen",
they, again on Captain's orders, attempted to cross the bow of the second Supertanker, and despite trying to "turbo the swing", didn't make it.
Basically a Ducati 900 trying to curb pass a semi, only to get flattened by a second semi in front.
http://gcaptain.com/volts-shipping-sues-u-s-navy-strait-hormuz-collision/
The USN quite reasonably fired Arriola, while keeping the findings of the Board classified, to try to stave off multiple lawsuits.
https://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2014/08/13/shipping-firm-sues-over-2012-navy-collision/13996237/
I was a master helmsman aboard the Reagan (CVN 76) and it is SOP that ships are required to move out of the way of our strike group. I am betting it was a combination of stubbornness on the part of USN, miscommunication and all around negligence. This kind of thing doesn't happen in this day and age without clear fault. Not going to point any fingers :X
Are ships in a group treated differently than single ships?
I've had navigation, mo board, and rules of the road but it has been a long time.
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