Navy having trouble with personnel accountability and hitting things in the wide open ocean. Not a good week for that branch. Some ship captains are in a world of **** right now.

Was a crowded shipping channel...not way out in the "wide open ocean" as I understand it.

Not making excuses....should not have happened, of course.

The damage of the right side of the USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, June 17, 2017. Iori Sagisawa / Kyodo News via AP




In this photo released by Japan's 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, the damage of Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal is seen in the waters off Izu Peninsula, southwest of Tokyo, on June 17, 2017 after it had collided with the USS Fitzgerald. Japan's 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters / AP

Officials identified the merchant vessel as the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal. The ship is 29,060 tons and 730 feet long, according to MarineTraffic.com. Destroyers like the Fitzgerald are roughly 8,230 tons and 505 feet long.

ACX Crystal’s automatic tracking system shows the ship steaming east at about 21 mph before slowing down slightly and abruptly circling back west, according to public data shown on MarineTrafffic.com.
The data shows the ship returning full circle to a previous point at about the time of the reported incident. The ship then travels at about 4 mph shortly afterward before returning to full speed and heading toward Tokyo Bay.
While the path appears unusual compared to other ships in the area at the time, which did not deviate from relatively straight courses.
The Fitzgerald is forward deployed to Yokosuka as part of the USS Ronald Reagan Strike Group. It took part in training near the Korean Peninsula last month involving ships from both the Reagan and USS Carl Vinson strike groups and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The destroyer received $21 million in upgrades and repairs in February.

LINK




The ACX Crystal, shown here on a satellite map at about 10:30 on June 17, 2017, was reportedly involved in a collision with the destroyer USS Fitzgerald during early morning hours. Marine traffic heading out of Tokyo Bay is normally heavy.
SCREENSHOT VIA MARINETRAFFIC.COM

Update on this story....very sad.

Search for 7 Navy sailors ends after bodies found on ship

Mari Yamaguchi | AP

YOKOSUKA, Japan — The search for seven U.S. Navy sailors who went missing after their destroyer collided with a container ship off the Japanese coast was called off after several bodies were found Sunday in the ship’s flooded compartments, including sleeping quarters.
Navy divers found “a number of” bodies in the USS Fitzgerald, a day after the destroyer collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship four times its size, said Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the Navy’s 7th Fleet. Aucoin, speaking at a news conference at the 7th Fleet’s home base in Yokosuka, Japan, wouldn’t say how many bodies were recovered, pending notification of next of kin.

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He said that much of the crew of about 300 was asleep when the collision happened at 2:20 a.m. Saturday, and that one machinery room and two berthing areas for 116 crew members were severely damaged. Aucoin said the destroyer — which returned to Yokosuka on Saturday evening with the help of tug boats — was hit on the side and there was a significant impact.

The victims might have been killed by the impact of the collision or drowned in the flooding, said Navy spokesman Lt. Paul Newell, who led the media on a visit to get a firsthand look at the mangled destroyer.

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The damage to the destroyer suggests that the container ship, the ACX Crystal, might have slammed into it at a high speed. This has raised questions as to whether there was proper communication between the two vessels, particularly given how busy the waters where the collision occurred are.

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The container ship was seen making a U-turn before the collision on some ship trackers, a move that has raised questions about what happened. Both Aucoin and the Japanese coast guard, however, said it was too early to determine what led to the collision.

The coast guard questioned crew members of the ACX Crystal, and is treating the incident as a case of possible professional negligence, said Masayuki Obara, a regional coast guard official.

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More info at the link above.

Please join me in prayer for these lost sailors and their loved ones....

Yea it makes you wonder

crimsonaudio said:

It's an interesting question: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog...rald_story_we_are_getting_from_the_media.html

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So all you have to do to disappear from the radar of one of the most advanced ships in the world is disable your transponder? I don't buy that. The small ships are the ones that are issue on radar. Not 900' container ships. Those don't disappear off radar.

Some who have had experience in these matters are saying there will be early retirements and ends of careers over this. The Navy prefers to set examples for up and coming ship commanders.

But as has been said...we don't have a clue of the whys and hows of the incident - so IMHO, let's wait before condemning anyone.

I imagine the Captain of the Fitzgerald is either a Lieutenant Commander or Commander. He will be relieved of his command and early retired.

Wonder when and if we will get the whole story.


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You all need to look at this....

The Path of the Container Ship
That Struck a U.S. Navy Destroyer

By FORD FESSENDEN and DEREK WATKINS UPDATED June 19th at 6:50 a.m.

The Japanese Coast Guard is trying to determine why a large Philippine ship took almost an hour to report its collision with the U.S.S. Fitzgerald off the coast of Japan on Saturday. Seven sailors were killed.

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crimsonaudio said:

I agree, but it seems odd that one of the most advanced warships in the world couldn't avoid a hulking container ship.

Maybe it was simply a mistake, maybe not.

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Whole thing is strange. If it were intentional, someone on the bridge should have seen the ship coming at them on radar.

Talked to several retired Navy guys here at work and they were indicating since the Captain may have been in their quarters sleeping the person at the Con was probably an Ensign. They were just guessing but from their experience that is usually the case. They didn't understand how the ship with it's advanced radars did not spot the freighter and avoid it so there are more than a couple of people that are responsible. I agree on the freighters course changes, seems rather strange.

As I understand it, when the captain retires to his cabin, he usually leaves specifics orders on what circumstances warrant his being notified to come to the bridge. With regard to other ships in the area, this criteria equates to a specific measurement in distance between vessels.

For example: If a vessel comes within' 1 mile...you need to contact me. Otherwise just follow normal procedure.

Obviously these parameters will vary depending on many factors, not the least of which is in what area the ship is located at the time.

It looks like the container ship rammed directly into the starboard side of the destroyer. Then afterwards maybe did a loop to see what happened. Then went on their way after sending in a radio report (an hour later).