As the Navy family grieves, both it and the wider world are asking the same question: How did this happen?
The short answer is that no one knows — yet. The official inquiries into what led up to the encounter could take months or more. The Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard both likely will eventually issue reports that describe what happened and could make recommendations for preventing another such accident.
"I will not speculate on how long these investigations will last," said Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of the Navy's 7th Fleet. The Fitzgerald and the other ships of Destroyer Squadron 15, based outside Tokyo, fall under his authority.
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Its very dark out at night on the sea - especially when cargo ships turn off their transponders (which is used for radar purposes) and nav lights - then make erratic hostile movements, wrecking into one of our Navy vessel. Also, cargo ships come out of Manila where we know lots of bad guys (ISIS) live.
ReplyDeleteShame the skipper of the Fitzgerald will lose his job over this - will be interesting how this will be reported in the upcoming weeks!
Hmmm....
NONSENSE! This is absolutely absurd and a slap in the face by our government to think we are so stupid to accept this excuse of what happened
ReplyDeleteShouldn't the skipper lose his job?
ReplyDeleteIf he doesn't lose his job, what would he have to do in the future (wrong) to lose it?
What would it take for a skipper to lose his job, if this isn't an example of negligence / poor decision making / lack of attention. . . .
If a NAVY ship skipper can't avoid a cargo ship in the night, then, how on earth might he avoid being attacked by a competitive naval vessel?
Something is fishy about this story, and it isn't the dinner.
Incompetence! Some officer was sleeping, execute him or her, bet it would never happen again.
ReplyDeleteThe US navy has the best of everything when it comes to communication and collision avoidance systems this should never have happened. I was a merchant seaman for a lot of years and know first hand a lot of times the one and only man on the wheel of a merchant ship is asleep or down in the galley,they just depend on the auto pilot and dose off. The navy should be well aware of this so no matter who had the right of way I can't help but think if the navy was on the ball this would have never happened. There are some careers going down the drain and it's not going to be on the merchant ship.
ReplyDeleteI would say the skipper should lose his job but I'm saying that assuming that any Navy vessel would be equipped to outmaneuver a loaded cargo ship, even if it is steering erratically. If it comes out that Navy ships CANT outmaneuver a loaded cargo ship then everyone in the Pentagon should be fired.
ReplyDeleteNone of you seem to know anything about COLREGS or navigation. Navy ships rarely have AIS turned on and are stealthy so they have never small or no radar signature. There is a captain's saying that holds true 99% of the time: If it's grey - stay away. The Navy and crew are most likely at fault. The Navy ship was crossing the path of the freighter and given the angle of the hit, the freighter had ROW.
ReplyDeleteI doubt seriously that a freight ship was using oars or rowing at all.
ReplyDeleteThey have very large diesel engines.
I was in the Navy but never on a shop. I was assigned to a patrol squadron and flew many surveillance and recon missions. We knew where all hostile shipping was 24/7 both surface and submerged and also knew where other shipping was. Why would the destroyer not have any navigation up? They were off Japan, an ally. I agree this does not pass the smell test.
ReplyDeleteYou an Orion man?
DeleteAll speculation till the facts are known.
ReplyDeleteTha captain will loose his job as well as many watchstanders.
ReplyDelete5:10 ROW = right of way.
ReplyDeleteThe captain needs to be put to death for his incompetence, the US Navy needs to make an example out of him!
ReplyDelete829
ReplyDeleteAre you living in 1930's Soviet Union?
WTF?
How about they also pull out his fingernails?
Geez
I find it hard to believe that two vessels of that size on the vast ocean collide. Both of the captains of each vessel should be held responsible for their incompetent seamanship.
ReplyDelete8:31 PM...yes!
ReplyDelete