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The birds and bees and big ships

The USS Fitzgerald sailors killed in the collision.

The U.S. Navy released the names of seven sailors killed after a ship collision near Japan.

Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlosvictor Ganzon Sibayan,
Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby,
Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr.,
Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh,
Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez,
Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass,
Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Jorge Stanbury: [:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

P.S. Did you think that up and execute it in the middle of a dark, quiet night? Wonderfully done.

Well no
- more of an early morning for my time zone
- and I didn't create these reviews, these are actually real Amazon reviews, from people that has not likely read the book

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

It's real...

I'd like to say I'm shocked, but I don't (to the best of my knowledge) lie [X(][8|]

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

It's real...

I'd like to say I'm shocked, but I don't (to the best of my knowledge) lie [X(][8|]

Now days you cannot believe with certainty what you read, hear or see.

Well, I'll be darned.

I thought How to Avoid Huge Ships was a spoof, created by Jorge or somebody (hey, it's the kind of thing MakeeLearn is adept at).

Therefore, I thought the Amazon reviews were also a spoof, created by Jorge in the middle of the night or early morning or whatever.

!

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

The USS Fitzgerald sailors killed in the collision.

The U.S. Navy released the names of seven sailors killed after a ship collision near Japan.

Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlosvictor Ganzon Sibayan,
Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby,
Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr.,
Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh,
Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez,
Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass,
Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin.

A sad reality of the mistakes made that resulted in the collision. [:(]

I am amazed at the glimpse of the multi-ethnic makeup of the crew. If the whole USN is like that, it is a great model for the country to emulate.

This is an interesting thread, but I apologize for contributing humorous posts at the same time MakeeLearn was addressing the loss of life. I didn't see his post until later. The humor comes across as disrespectful when paired with information about the tragic results of the collision.

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

A sad reality of the mistakes made that resulted in the collision. [:(]

I am amazed at the glimpse of the multi-ethnic makeup of the crew. If the whole USN is like that, it is a great model for the country to emulate.
[/quote]

My boys are in the Army, and it is all like that so I assume the Navy is no different. There is a long history of the Navy using any able bodied man (or woman now).

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

A sad reality of the mistakes made that resulted in the collision. [:(]

I am amazed at the glimpse of the multi-ethnic makeup of the crew. If the whole USN is like that, it is a great model for the country to emulate.
[/quote]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
My boys are in the Army, and it is all like that so I assume the Navy is no different. There is a long history of the Navy using any able bodied man (or woman now).

I recall seeing a story when the US went into Afghanistan that the military now has a larger non-white percentage than the population of the country. A lot of non-white kids who are ambitious, but have few opportunities decide to go into the military to learn skills they can later use to make a living.

It is always a tragedy when anyone dies unnecessarily, and even more tragic when it's someone young with their life ahead of them, but to put things in perspective, the military has between 750 and 2000 people on active duty die a year and only a small fraction are from combat. Suicide is usually the biggest killer (around 25% of deaths) with transportation accidents being #2, and other accidents are usually #3.
https://timemilitary.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/pages-from-05-12msmr.pdf

Several years ago I read a few issues of the USN's safety magazine Approach which is all about aircraft related safety. I found it a fascinating microcosm of issues handling aircraft both on shore and on carriers. Some horrific accidents were described as well as some other issues surrounding aircraft operations.

All the machinery the military operates can be very dangerous in minor as well as major ways. I knew a guy who was a pilot flying C-141s out of McChord. He said he knew a few mechanics who had missing ring fingers. The rules were not to wear rings around the aircraft, but people forgot and the rings got caught in machinery.

It is still a tragedy those 7 are dead.

Bill

I cannot wait to read the summary of the inquiry that is coming. Fair winds and following seas to those that lost their lives.

ORIGINAL: wdolson

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

A sad reality of the mistakes made that resulted in the collision. [:(]

I am amazed at the glimpse of the multi-ethnic makeup of the crew. If the whole USN is like that, it is a great model for the country to emulate.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
My boys are in the Army, and it is all like that so I assume the Navy is no different. There is a long history of the Navy using any able bodied man (or woman now).

I recall seeing a story when the US went into Afghanistan that the military now has a larger non-white percentage than the population of the country. A lot of non-white kids who are ambitious, but have few opportunities decide to go into the military to learn skills they can later use to make a living.

It is always a tragedy when anyone dies unnecessarily, and even more tragic when it's someone young with their life ahead of them, but to put things in perspective, the military has between 750 and 2000 people on active duty die a year and only a small fraction are from combat. Suicide is usually the biggest killer (around 25% of deaths) with transportation accidents being #2, and other accidents are usually #3.
https://timemilitary.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/pages-from-05-12msmr.pdf

Several years ago I read a few issues of the USN's safety magazine Approach which is all about aircraft related safety. I found it a fascinating microcosm of issues handling aircraft both on shore and on carriers. Some horrific accidents were described as well as some other issues surrounding aircraft operations.

All the machinery the military operates can be very dangerous in minor as well as major ways. I knew a guy who was a pilot flying C-141s out of McChord. He said he knew a few mechanics who had missing ring fingers. The rules were not to wear rings around the aircraft, but people forgot and the rings got caught in machinery.

It is still a tragedy those 7 are dead.

Bill
[/quote]


A good article on the makeup of the military. A lot has changed since the Vietnam War ended. Minorities in the military have grown in number. The percentage tends to flux with the economy though. Minorities are still not well represented in the officer corps. Interesting to me is that well over 90% of enlisted service personnel have at least a high school diploma today. That is much greater than the percentage in our adult population. I would have expected fewer but a smaller modern military can be more selective and needs better educated soldiers.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/20 ... ographics/

Looks like the Crystal's crew was sleeping :

"Steffan Watkins, an information technology security consultant who writes for Janes Intelligence on ship tracking, said the path of the Crystal, as posted from its Automatic Identification System, “looks like an automated course.” Instead of stopping so the crew could investigate what had just happened, the ship corrected its course and “kept accelerating” toward Tokyo, he said.
“It looks very much like the computer was driving,” he said.
But the fact that after more than 30 minutes the Crystal reversed course and returned to the accident scene suggests the captain or crew took control of the ship from the autopilot, Mr. Watkins said. “It took them 55 minutes to get back to the spot of the collision, and that’s when they called the Japanese Coast Guard,” he said.


http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/mar ... spartandhp

Just coming in on this thread. From what I've read it appears that everyone on the container ship was asleep and the ship was on autopilot. The track showed that the ship resumed course, accelerated and it took the crew a half hour to figure out what happened and another half hour to return to the scene. Once there they called the Coast Guard. The radio room on the Fitzgerald was trashed and they were too busy trying to save the ship to get any signal off.

The commander's cabin took a direct hit and he was asleep there at the time. They had to pry his door open to get the wounded man out.

Nobody can believe that they weren't aware of the approach. Protocol is that if a ship comes within 4k yards the captain is awakened and comes to the bridge. There's no way the destroyer couldn't have avoided it unless her engine was out. Seems like everyone was figuratively asleep. There's supposed to be a watch on each side of the ship plus one forward. Why wasn't there automatically a collision alarm tripped by the ship's sensors?

I haven't seen anything about what the DD was doing at the time of collision, but it does not seem like it was purposefully steaming to Tokyo. I wonder if it was engaged in exercises like trying to detect a sub amid heavy merchant traffic in the area. It could have been stopped or moving very slowly and focused on what the underwater sensors were saying rather than the traffic around them. And if there was a sub there for exercise purposes, no one will admit its presence for the usual "sneaky sub" reasons.

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

I haven't seen anything about what the DD was doing at the time of collision, but it does not seem like it was purposefully steaming to Tokyo. I wonder if it was engaged in exercises like trying to detect a sub amid heavy merchant traffic in the area. It could have been stopped or moving very slowly and focused on what the underwater sensors were saying rather than the traffic around them. And if there was a sub there for exercise purposes, no one will admit its presence for the usual "sneaky sub" reasons.

But hard to believe the Capt would had been sleeping, and the crew in so low alertness level

They would/should be fully capable of maintaining a accurate picture of both the subsurface and surface environment whenever at sea. If your hypothetical is correct, it would mean that person/persons were not doing their job.
Now I have heard from one source, but have not seen confirmation, that the freighter overtook FITZGERALD and turned to port afterwards. Depending on when the freighter did the maneuver, that would imply that FITZGERALD was the privileged vessel, unless FITZGERALD had changed course or speed. Under International Rules of the Road, the privileged vessel maintains course and speed with expectation that the burdened vessel will maneuver. The privileged vessel may only maneuver when it is obvious that the burdened vessel will not comply. As you might imagine, most ship drivers prefer to be the burdened vessel. In any case, it is a mystery why the CO was not called to the bridge.

I agree. They should be operating as though they're passing through the Strait of Malacca no matter where they are.

I'd also say that a US Navy warship should never consider itself to be either priveledged or burdened like a mere container ship. Their job is to be the traffic cop if need be, the way the Coast Guard operates. Blow your whistle, get compliance or take appropriate measures. A warship is not just traffic like everyone else, just trying to get from point A to point B.