USS Fritzgerald

[Henry88]

Hey Gang,

Is anyone else following this?

How does a US Warship run into a big container ship in clear weather?

If anyone wants to follow, the following is about as much info as I think is out there right now.

Anybody hearing anything else?

http://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-fitzger ... an/45129/2

[Dennis H]

Yes I've been followin. Guessin somebody was asleep at the wheel, probably a few somebody's.

[Estacado]

This is totally unbelievable to me. You don't need all the advanced equipment on the ship. On a clear night, lookouts with binoculars should have given plenty of warning. At this early stage, all I can fall back on is total negligence. I do not care who is at fault. A United States Man of War had a collision with a cargo ship. What does that say about our state of readiness? Anyone who was in a position of authority on the bridge that night should face a court martial. The Captain should never have a command again. An incident like this is unforgivable.

Before I am flamed, I spent nine years in the United States Navy.

[tractortad]

This is totally unbelievable to me. You don't need all the advanced equipment on the ship. On a clear night, lookouts with binoculars should have given plenty of warning. At this early stage, all I can fall back on is total negligence. I do not care who is at fault. A United States Man of War had a collision with a cargo ship. What does that say about our state of readiness? Anyone who was in a position of authority on the bridge that night should face a court martial. The Captain should never have a command again. An incident like this is unforgivable.

Before I am flamed, I spent nine years in the United States Navy.

I don't think we can make a judgement about the U.S.Navy's state of readiness due to a single ship collision in congested waters off the Japanese coast at 0235 in the morning. I strongly believe we still have the best trained and most capable Navy on the planet - by a long shot.

The Navy will fully investigate this incident and hold those at fault accountable - especially the Commanding Officer and Officer of the Deck, but whatever discipline is handed down on these men will pale in comparison to their knowing that seven of their shipmates were lost in this tragic accident...

[RanchRoper]

Nobody gets flamed in this town....as long as the discussion keeps to the story in question and we don't get riled up or political... Thanks folks.

Hey that's my first time as Deputy Dawg on the forum....kinda feels good

[Dennis H]

I think every action is a reflection of the state of readiness. That ship has things to answer for and the navy will get those answers in due time. People's careers will end in embarrassment over this as they should. Actions have consequences in the military, as they should. Lives are at stake, when mistakes are made people die. It's not the same as most civilian jobs.


8yrs navy reserve. Desert Storm Veteran.
Nothin like what my dad went thru in the late 60's.

[Henry88]

I read the entire thread, save a few posts and here's what I'm getting out of it.
At first, most thought the fault with the cargo ship. Incidently, the crew of the cargo ship was Filipine, so their maritime speaks english.
As the thread ran on, more critisizm found it's way to the Navy ship. In part because the Navy is not talking, so their side is not being represented.

What the Japanese Coast Guard got from the Filipino cargo ship was that:
The navy ship was stopped or dead slow facing east (90 deg). Suddenly, the Filipinos say the Navy shipped accelerated (90 deg) and cut directly across their path.
What we know:
Both were headed into Tokyo harbor but the Navy ship not due until morning. Much of the discussions surround the rules of one ship overtaking another. In that instance the burdon would be on the cargo ship to stay clear.
But what if the Navy ship was stationary, and the cargo ship was apparently simply following the normal shipping lanes into Tokyo Harbor, the Navy could very well be at fault.
BTW, the Navy is not saying anything.

[Henry88]

I think every action is a reflection of the state of readiness. That ship has things to answer for and the navy will get those answers in due time. People's careers will end in embarrassment over this as they should. Actions have consequences in the military, as they should. Lives are at stake, when mistakes are made people die. It's not the same as most civilian jobs.


8yrs navy reserve. Desert Storm Veteran.
Nothin like what my dad went thru in the late 60's.

Hey Dennis,

At this point most of these guys (gcaptain) are looking at the OOD (Officer of the Deck) on the destroyer.

They say this is usually a junior officer that the captain has basically "co-signed" an understanding of competency. In other words the captain has
guaranteed the Navy that this person is competant.

From this viewpoint you can understand why the captain would be at fault even if in his bunk asleep.

[Dennis H]

I think every action is a reflection of the state of readiness. That ship has things to answer for and the navy will get those answers in due time. People's careers will end in embarrassment over this as they should. Actions have consequences in the military, as they should. Lives are at stake, when mistakes are made people die. It's not the same as most civilian jobs.


8yrs navy reserve. Desert Storm Veteran.
Nothin like what my dad went thru in the late 60's.

Hey Dennis,

At this point most of these guys (gcaptain) are looking at the OOD (Officer of the Deck) on the destroyer.

They say this is usually a junior officer that the captain has basically "co-signed" an understanding of competency. In other words the captain has
guaranteed the Navy that this person is competant.

From this viewpoint you can understand why the captain would be at fault even if in his bunk asleep.

No question. The fault will lie at the man or woman at the helm and the man or woman who put him or her there.

[Dennis H]

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/17/w ... ation.html


There will be more like this onboard the USS McCain ! Somebody better get a hold of this caca storm!

[Dennis H]

More heads rolling.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/22/politics/ ... index.html