Posted on 06/22/2017 6:39:56 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
A 30,000 ton cargo ship of the size in question does not have the speed nor the maneuverability to chase down a guided missile destroyer, NO WAY. Ships radar, night time running lights aboard each ship should have been enough to prevent an "accident". Something is certainly fishy.
That is the usual type of punishment, though I believe he is a Commander in rank (Captain is the title) since that is the usual rank of people in command of these types of vessels.
Even with terrible loss of life, they aren’t going to Leavenworth or anything like that. They are given a letter of reprimand (or some other literary instrument that serves as a scarlet letter on their naval forehead) they are docked so many points towards advancement that their careers are over, and often treated as somewhat of a non-person or pariah in the Naval Service, (even if a sympathetic one that may have been wronged by a board of inquiry or Courts Martial) and end up leaving of their own accord.
It is sad and harsh, but that is the way of the sea and a captain.
Yes. In reality, they almost never do time, mostly because it is almost never criminal negligence (even if in retrospect it looks like it)
Most of the time, it is just a failure of leadership, training, or simple human failure if the captain is the one actually on the bridge giving commands.
And there are indeed miscarriages of justice, more than there should be.
“”Anyone who has been associated with the US Navy and its culture or been in the US Navy knows that it can be extraordinarily aggressive, vindictive, and even outright deceitful when it comes to deflecting blame of things that may reflect poorly on the Naval Service””
At this point it appears the US Taxpayer will be the ones who pay for this Navy Culture. The Navy will write a check for $50 to $100 million to the owners of the ACX Crystal and the Navy will write-off a $1 billion destroyer that may be too damaged to repair.
My current theory:
Setup:
The ships were on parallel courses heading East. The destroyer was to the North and the freighter to the South. The freighter was over taking the destroyer. The ships were close enough that the Captain should have been called to the bridge, and the ships should have been in radio communication.
Collision:
The freighter changed course to the North enough to cross paths with the destroyer. Though utter lack of competence, the freighter did not know the destroyer was there. Through utter lack of competence, the destroyer did not observe the freighter’s course change. The ships collided without warning to captain or crew.
Takeaway:
If ship’s crews are going to be this incompetent, then we should just be done with it, and give control and authority to the computers.
It has been that way since we commissioned the Bon Homme Richard in the Continental Navy back in 1779.
And it isn’t just the Navy. When the Air Force lost a B-2 bomber on Guam, it was the same, a billon or two worth. Same with the E-3 Sentry that crashed at Elmendorf AFB, a half a billon or more there.
It is just how it is. The difference is, when those planes crash, the pilots usually pay with their lives and those of their crews. When ships crash...well, that doesn’t always happen.
It is the price of doing business having a wartime capable military 24x7 even in peacetime. Sad but true.
Anyone on FR who have served in the USN or still serving knows that just about every watch station, there is a log. The bridge has a log, CIC has a log, and so on. I am also sure that the bridge watches - port/stbd wings - also called out “hey, there is a ship coming toward us,” or words to that affect. The USN will do extensive interviews with all personnel standing watch - bridge, CIC, etc.; they will go over all black box recordings; they will review and scour all logs. Also, the careers of the Captain, bridge OOD, all bridge officers at the time of the collision, Ops boss, possibly the XO, navigator, CIC watch officers/chiefs - their careers are done. Get out now.
So the Skipper got his smaller, faster, more agile boat rammeed by a larger Japanese vessel. When does he run for president?
The Navy I was in logged everything, as you said. We even had to make log entries stating that nothing’s happening. It seems that the crew of the Fitzgerald screwed up badly. From top to bottom.
Satellite data shows the Crystal making strange maneuvers.... Right before the collision. Speculation- the ships electronics were disabled on the first pass (EMP), and the rammed after the 180 degree turn.
Any takers?
maybe this time the truth will come from themail.jp
Team Trump concerned there may be radar jamming at work.
The Captain was asleep in his quarters when the Crystal hit. Thats why he was injured. There is a small possibility that the u turn was made after the collision and they returned to assist. the data recorders with the timeline will tell. The sailers manning the bridge are directly responsible for the collision if there wasnt a instrumentation failer. It was at night.
Follow along on one of the charted course graphics, and I will give my 'splanashun of what occurred.
ACX is on a steady track, then makes a hard right followed by turn to original course. The hard right is most likely the collision point. ACX resumes course while her Captain goes to bridge, assesses the situation and slows to turn around.
ACX returns to scene and loiters, then resumes course. LOTS of wierd stuff about THAT (search & rescue etc), but that is all post collision.
Being familiar with typical Navy 'standing orders', it seems impossible that a collision with another vessel occurred when the Captain was IN HIS CABIN!! Unfathomable!!
Speaking as someone who has deployed on Navy destroyers, I agree. The whole "Nautical Jihad" scenario is ridiculous.
Didn’t know he was a Commander.
I saw something similar happen to an O3 pilot. He ejected from his jet, board said there was no mechanical deficiency identified, he left soon afterwards.
The conspiracy nutjobs will never accept any conclusion other than Islamic Jihadists commandeered a lumbering container ship and deliberately targeted and successfully rammed a Navy destroyer in the pitch black dark of night.
I've been out for more than 50 years, so I don't know the technology. Can anyone state, with certainty, that such devices are carried on USN vessels?
Failed gulf of Tonkin incident?
“...does not have the speed nor the maneuverability to chase down a guided missile destroyer...”
It doesn’t have to chase down anything. And all indications are it didn’t
The shipping corridor into Tokyo is so busy that normal rules of the road do not apply, pleasure craft are not even allowed in the lanes except to cross.
In an area so congested all the Crystal has to do -and it did- is get in the way of a much faster moving Fitz. Given the hour, it’s a safe bet a less experienced OOD is on duty. Even with no malice this exact scenario has lead to collisions many times.
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