Anybody remember the USS Cole? Paranoid? In this day and age when you can't even go to a concert without being blown to bits?
Japanese tanker collides with US destroyer.
- Thread starter Justin_NSA
- Start date
Well, here's an update that adds to the mystery in my mind:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4617742/Shambolic-start-probe-USS-Fitzgerald-collision.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4617742/Shambolic-start-probe-USS-Fitzgerald-collision.html
Sustaining similar damage to the Fitzgerald. They got lucky, just cost the taxpayers $55M in repair. The bridge recordings were quite the sensation. CMDR arguing with the OOD and generally acting like an ignorant mobo with a horn and throttle. Poor show.
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We all like to guess. Me included 
I think it will be found that the destroyer was sitting, and the cargo ship ran into it in the dark. Especially considering that the Navy ship is designed to be invisible. They don't generally transmit AIS; I've never seen them on AIS when they are on maneuvers offshore Orange County. And the ship is designed and built to avoid radar. Plus probably other technology.
It appears they were significantly farther offshore than previously imagined by me. IE not in a heavily congested area.
The cargo ship on autopilot and a graveyard crew never detected the destroyer, and just plowed right into it.
How the destroyer failed to detect the cargo ship is a mystery. Unless they were having equipment or power issues.
A combination of factors will emerge to have caused this, not just one error.
I think it will be found that the destroyer was sitting, and the cargo ship ran into it in the dark. Especially considering that the Navy ship is designed to be invisible. They don't generally transmit AIS; I've never seen them on AIS when they are on maneuvers offshore Orange County. And the ship is designed and built to avoid radar. Plus probably other technology.
It appears they were significantly farther offshore than previously imagined by me. IE not in a heavily congested area.
The cargo ship on autopilot and a graveyard crew never detected the destroyer, and just plowed right into it.
How the destroyer failed to detect the cargo ship is a mystery. Unless they were having equipment or power issues.
A combination of factors will emerge to have caused this, not just one error.
As an officer of the deck on USS Independence and later ships navigator on USS Nimitz I mourn the loss of our sailors. It is heart wrenching. I will wait for the investigation. I also cast a wary eye on initial press reports. It does appear that the captain was asleep in his cabin at the moment of impact. If that cargo ship had a bulbous bow it is remarkable the warship did not break in half. Some questions. Were there comms between the ships prior to the collision? Was there traffic to port of the warship that restricted maneuvering options? Was there a steering casualty on either ship?
Lord hear us when when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea.
Courtesy of the Navy Hymn
Lord hear us when when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea.
Courtesy of the Navy Hymn
Well if we're going to speculate....
I'm going to guess that the Fritz saw the container ship, knew it was the give way, and tried to drive over the top of it. The thing can cover its own waterline length in 10 seconds, so it was not far from making it. The hard part to fathom is that the ARPA tracker alarms would have going nuts, showing ZERO as a CPA distance. We'll find out.
I'm going to guess that the Fritz saw the container ship, knew it was the give way, and tried to drive over the top of it. The thing can cover its own waterline length in 10 seconds, so it was not far from making it. The hard part to fathom is that the ARPA tracker alarms would have going nuts, showing ZERO as a CPA distance. We'll find out.
That's a hasty generalization..... Good news sources do try to check things out as much as possible, even in the sintant news cycle....
The problem is that over 1/2 of the so called news is not generated by anything considered as a real news source....
Rest in peace and thank you for service to our nation. For the surviving families I offer my sympathies. It's awful.
That's the thing, it's two different mysteries wrapped into one: why the 180 and how (or why) did the Fitzgerald allow the collision? Either one by itself is intriguing. It reads like a Tom Clancy novel.
Looks like a Saturday on the Chesapeake Bay. Take a look at the merchant track RickD posted. The boat had been on the same course for HOURS. That is how merchants operate. They stay predictable and visible, and they are the Stand On vessel.
Would love to see that track at the time of the incident superimposed over the track of the Crystal at the time of the incident. Might tell us the actual traffic conditions such as where other cargo vessels were located when both ships hit.