US Navy warship T-Boned by container ship.

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wvjohn
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US Navy warship T-Boned by container ship.

Post by wvjohn »

Seriously, WTF. 7 men missing. Clear calm conditions. Don't they post lookouts anymore? My crystal ball says senior officers going to be flipping burgers soon.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40314128

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A major search operation is under way for seven missing US sailors after their ship collided with a merchant vessel off the coast of Japan.

Japanese and American planes, boats and helicopters have been deployed but have so far failed to find the missing crew.

A Philippine-registered container ship struck the USS Fitzgerald destroyer in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Three people aboard were medically evacuated by air, including the USS Fitzgerald's commanding officer.

The incident took place some 56 nautical miles (104km) south-west of the Japanese port city of Yokosuka, at about 02:30 local time on Saturday (17:30 GMT Friday).

The Navy ship's starboard side was heavily damaged in the collision, but the vessel later managed to slowly return to its base in Yokosuka, with the assistance of US navy tug boats.

USS Fitzgerald crash: In pictures
What happened?

The collision occurred near Yokosuka, which is home to the US 7th Fleet that comprises up to 80 submarines and ships, including the USS Fitzgerald.

It is unclear where the 154-metre (505ft) guided missile destroyer ship was heading at the time.
Image copyright AFP
Image caption The US destroyer was guided back to base by US Navy tug boats

The ACX Crystal, a 222-metre (730ft) Filipino-flagged container ship, was travelling between the Japanese cities of Nagoya and Tokyo.

Marine traffic records suggest the ACX Crystal made a sudden U-turn roughly 25 minutes before the collision with the USS Fitzgerald. It is not clear why it changed course.

Marine traffic records suggest it was travelling at 14.6 knots (27km/h) at the time of the collision.
Image copyright MarineTraffic.com
Image caption The ACX Crystal appeared to make a U-turn before the collision, before rapidly adjusting course and setting off to Tokyo

Marine traffic records for the USS Fitzgerald are not publicly available.
How bad are the damage and injuries?

Japan's coastguard is co-ordinating the search with US teams for the seven missing crew members, who have not yet been publicly identified. It has sent half a dozen vessels, a number of aircraft and rescue personnel to the scene.

The USS Dewey escorted the Fitzgerald back to Yokosuka, and a US P-8 Poseidon aircraft has joined search and rescue efforts, the 7th Fleet said in a statement.

It is not yet known where the missing sailors were when the collision happened.

The US navy says several compartments were severely damaged - including the ships radio room, and two berthing compartments, the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from Tokyo.

Some of the seven missing sailors may have been asleep in those compartments when the collision happened, our correspondent adds.
Image copyright Reuters
Image caption The collision left a huge gash down the right-hand side of the ship
Image copyright EPA
Image caption The damage to the ACX Crystal was less serious than to the Navy ship

The Navy ship's commanding officer, Cdr Bryce Benson, is in a stable condition after being transferred by helicopter to US Naval Hospital Yokosuka, according to Navy officials. Two others were flown to hospital, and were said to be awake and under observation.

The Japanese coastguard said the ACX Crystal weighed just under 30,000 tonnes, about three times that of the USS Fitzgerald.

It sustained lighter damage to its port bow, and has now reached Tokyo.

The Associated Press agency said there were no injuries reported among the 20 Filipino crew members on board the container ship.
What is the fallout?

Relatives of those on board the USS Fitzgerald have been posting on the US 7th Fleet's Facebook page, requesting information on their loved-ones. An information hotline has been set up.

In a statement, 7th Fleet commander Vice Admiral Joseph P Aucoin was quoted as saying "this has been a difficult day".

"I am humbled by the bravery and tenacity of the Fitzgerald crew. Now that the ship is in Yokosuka, I ask that you help the families by maintaining their privacy as we continue the search for our shipmates."

The collision took place in waters that get heavy traffic and that have experienced prior collisions, Japanese broadcaster NHK said. Ships travelling to and from Tokyo, as well as crossing the Pacific in both directions, pass through the bay where the crash happened.

NHK said that an association of commercial ship captains is calling for the creation of east-west lanes in the area to avoid collisions.
One of the most advanced warships in the world - Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC News, Tokyo

The area where the collision took place is extremely busy, with shipping heading in and out of Tokyo bay.

However, the USS Fitzgerald is one of the most advanced warships in the world - with highly sophisticated radars systems.

At the moment the focus is on the search for the missing sailors. Later will come the investigation into how one of the world's most sophisticated warships failed to avoid colliding with a 30,000-tonne cargo ship on a calm, clear night.
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Re: US Navy warship T-Boned by container ship.

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The seven sailors have been found dead.
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Re: US Navy warship T-Boned by container ship.

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This makes no sense. It's a busy shipping lane but it's not constrained. Freighters move at a snails pace compared to a destroyer. Even if radar was down for some reason there should have been lookouts. No bad weather or fog apparently.
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Re: US Navy warship T-Boned by container ship.

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New photos.

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Re: US Navy warship T-Boned by container ship.

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I'm sure there'll be quite the inquiry. Though, I doubt it'll be public.
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Cargo ship may have been on autopilot when it rammed US Navy ship

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According to this article, cargo ship may have been riding "hands free" with no one on the bridge, and the autopilot corrected the course after impact and sailed another 30 min on original course. Article also says that US warships are supposed to use visual and tech to make sure nothing comes within 5 miles.

http://freebeacon.com/national-security ... destroyer/
Freighter Was On Autopilot When It Hit U.S. Destroyer
USS Fitzgerald did not detect container ship

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U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald arrives at its mother port US Naval Yokosuka Base, KanagawaU.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald arrives at its mother port US Naval Yokosuka Base, Kanagawa / Getty Images

BY: Bill Gertz
June 23, 2017 5:00 am

The deadly collision between a U.S. destroyer and a container ship June 17 took place while the freighter was on autopilot, according to Navy officials.

The Philippines-flagged cargo ship ACX Crystal was under control of a computerized navigation system that was steering and guiding the container vessel, according to officials familiar with preliminary results of an ongoing Navy investigation.

Investigators so far found no evidence the collision was deliberate.

Nevertheless, an accident during computerized navigation raises the possibility the container ship's computer system could have been hacked and the ship deliberately steered into the USS Fitzgerald, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.

A more likely explanation is that collision was the result of an autopilot malfunction, or the autopilot's warning signals, used to notify the ship's operators, were missed.

The destroyer was severely damaged when the protruding undersea bow of the cargo ship struck Fitzgerald on the right side. Seven sailors died as a result and the captain and two others were injured. It was the Navy's worst accident at sea.

The two ships hit about 64 miles off the coast of Japan.

The collision occurred at around 1:30 a.m. local time but was not reported by the freighter's crew until around 2:25 a.m. Investigators believe the time lag was the result of the crew not realizing they had hit another ship.

Commercial ship autopilot systems normally require someone to input manually the course for the ship travel. The computer program then steers the ship by controlling the steering gear to turn the rudder.

The system also can be synchronized with an electronic chart system to allow the program to follow courses of a voyage plan.

Tracking data broadcast from the Crystal as part of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) shows the ship changed course by 90 degrees to the right and slightly reduced its speed between around 1:32 a.m. and 1:34 a.m. After that time, the data shows the ship turned to the left and resumed a northeastern coarse along its original track line.

Private naval analyst Steffan Watkins said the course data indicates the ship was running on autopilot. "The ACX Crystal powered out of the deviation it performed at 1:30, which was likely the impact with the USS Fitzgerald, pushing it off course while trying to free itself from being hung on the bow below the waterline," Watkins told the Free Beacon.

The ship then continued to sail on for another 15 minutes, increasing speed before eventually reducing speed and turning around. "This shows the autopilot was engaged because nobody would power out of an accident with another ship and keep sailing back on course. It’s unthinkable," he added.

Watkins said the fact that the merchant ship hit something and did not radio the coast guard for almost 30 minutes also indicates no one was on the bridge at the time of the collision.

By 2:00 a.m., the freighter had turned around and headed back to the earlier position, according to the tracking data.

The officials said the Crystal eventually came upon the stricken Fitzgerald.

The Fitzgerald's AIS data was not available so its track was not reported publicly.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson traveled to Japan to oversee the transfer of the fallen sailors.

"There are multiple U.S. and Japanese investigations underway to determine the facts of the collision," Richardson said in a statement. "Our goal is to learn all we can to prevent future accidents from occurring. This process will unfold as quickly as possible, but it's important to get this right."

According to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, initial reports on the incident indicate no crew member was manning the controls in the pilot house of the Crystal when it hit the Fitzgerald.

After impact, the freighter's was not immediately aware that it had collided with anything and continued sailing. The ship's crew then realized it had been in a collision and sailed back to try to determine what had happened.

Transport safety authorities and coast guard investigators in Japan on Thursday announced the data recorder from the Crystal had been secured, the Associated Press reported. The freighter is currently docked in the port of Yokohama, near Tokyo.

The Navy and Coast Guard are investigating the incident. The Fitzgerald is currently at its home port of Yokosuka naval base. The investigation is expected to be completed in several months.

For the Navy, investigators are trying to determine why the ship's radar and other sensors did not detect the Crystal in time to take steps to avoid the collision.

The Fitzgerald is equipped with the AN/SPS-64 advanced military navigation radar, and also uses a commercial radar system to enhance the shipping traffic picture of ships in its vicinity.

Navy ships operate radar systems to detect approaching ships or submarines. Lookouts posted on the bridge are responsible for detecting ships that pose a risk of collision.

Additionally, all commercial ships over 300 tons are required under international rules to operate AIS location data. AIS information from Crystal should have been monitored by sailors on the bridge of the Fitzgerald.

The sailors aboard the 505-foot-long Fitzgerald waged what officials said was a heroic battle about the ship to seal off flooding after the collision.

"We were struck by the stories of heroism and sacrifice—by both the sailors on board and their families back home—as they fought the damage to their ship and brought her back to Yokosuka," Richardson said.

The ship was not in danger of sinking but was listing to one side and was able to remain under its own power.

The bodies of the seven dead sailors were found in sealed off areas of the ship on Sunday after it reached port.

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet told reporters the Fitzgerald suffered extensive flooding and damage caused by a large puncture below the waterline on the starboard side underneath the pilot house.

The ship's commander, Cmdr. Bryce Benson was airlifted by Japanese coast guard helicopter. Two other injured sailors also were evacuated. All appear to have injuries that are not life threatening.

The officials said Benson was in his stateroom at the time of the collision.

The Fitzgerald was commissioned in 1995 and has a crew of some 300 crew members. It has a top speed of 30 knots and is armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, SM-1 anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles, as well as machine guns and torpedoes.

The Crystal was built in South Korea, is 730 feet long and capable of carrying up to 2,858 shipping containers.

The Crystal is classified as a mid-size container ship part of the Asia Container Express or ACX, an Asian container shipping trade subsidiary of NYK Line, a global shipping division of Japan's Mitsubishi.
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Re: US Navy warship T-Boned by container ship.

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Even if the freighter was on autopilot or out of control, it's inexcusable that the lookouts or radar operators in the destroyer didn't see it and take evasive maneuvers. It looks like they were oblivious because the Captain, who would have been woken if someone spotted a ship approaching, was asleep in his cabin (his cabin was crushed by the collision).
Whether the investigations will confirm the informed speculation of Mr. Watkins remains to be seen. But a number of Navy veterans who joined a lively online debate said that even the most distracted performance by the Crystal’s crew could not justify or explain the Fitzgerald’s failure to get out its way.

“It looks horrible,” said Gary E. Meyer, owner of a tech company in New Jersey, who served on the Navy ship San Diego and posted a YouTube commentary on the accident that got much attention. “You have three lookouts and you’re running radar,” Mr. Meyer said. “That ship can really accelerate and maneuver. It doesn’t mean they caused the collision, but they’re at fault for not avoiding it.”
Maritime Mystery: Why a U.S. Destroyer Failed to Dodge a Cargo Ship
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/worl ... ision.html
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Re: US Navy warship T-Boned by container ship.

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USS Fitzgerald crew made 'slew' of mistakes before deadly crash
“They did nothing until the last second,” one official said. “A slew of things went wrong.” A second official said the tragedy “will wind up being our (the US Navy’s) fault.”
http://nypost.com/2017/07/21/uss-fitzge ... sh-report/
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Re: US Navy warship T-Boned by container ship.

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I see lots of new procedures upcoming.
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Top Two Officers on Navy Ship in Deadly Collision Off Japan Are Relieved of Duties

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The ship’s captain, Cmdr. Bryce Benson; his second-in-command; and the senior enlisted sailor were relieved of their duties by the head of the Seventh Fleet in Japan, Vice Adm. Joseph P. Aucoin. A statement from the fleet said “inadequate leadership” had contributed to the collision.

The statement said a number of other sailors would face disciplinary action. A senior Navy officer said Thursday that about a dozen sailors in total would be punished, including all those on watch the night of June 17.
Top Two Officers on Navy Ship in Deadly Collision Off Japan Are Relieved of Duties
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/17/worl ... ation.html
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