When I first heard about this, and the explanation, the scene in the Avengers where Fury orders the carrier to the South, the guy at the helm responds that the nav system is down and Fury says “Is that the Sun rising? Put it on our left!” came to mind.
Also Kirk telling Sulu that “I don’t think these kids know how to steer” at the beginning of Wrath of Khan.
How much time in navigation classes have these sailors really been in? As opposed to various “sensitivity” and “awareness” ones?
When I was in a small boats unit, I learned how to take out a damned chart, and plot location via landmarks.
Good God!! A functioning $500 GPS in a bass boat gives a constantly moving chart that provides an accurate graphic representation of where the boat is at all times. Those boat had a lot more than that. Their crews never would have surrendered without orders from the highest level.