Navy News items

[Desert Fox]

A few of us are ex Navy and thought I would start a thread for us

USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant vessel off Japan

https://www.navytimes.com/articles/us-navy-destroyer-collides-with-merchant-ship

Seven American sailors are missing and an unspecified number are injured after the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant vessel off Japan's coast in the Philippine Sea.

As of 9 a.m. local time, the Fitzgerald's crew was still fighting to control damage to the ship as it limped backed to land, three sources with knowledge the incident told Navy Times. Its commanding officer, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was incapacitated in the accident and the executive officer has assumed command.

[Noisy Rhysling]

To absent friends.

[UnicornPoop]

Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range - one of the first things you learn onboard.

The CO became incapacitated?? That's one to ponder and one I'm sure will end up in the lessons learned binder.


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[Desert Fox]

Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range - one of the first things you learn onboard.

The CO became incapacitated?? That's one to ponder and one I'm sure will end up in the lessons learned binder.

It seems that it was 0230 local time. He was asleep in his stateroom which is in that corner of the ship.

Edit:

[Noisy Rhysling]

Dewatering like mad. Not a good sign.

[Desert Fox]

She is back in port in Yokosuka and flooding has been stablized
https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/uss-fitzgerald-arrives-at-yokosuka-naval-base-1.473998#.WUUFtsa1vDd

Looks like the vessel which collided with her made a pretty crazy course. Untrained or even asleep at the wheel maybe.

[Noisy Rhysling]

I reported to Yoko the day after Reagan got shot, USS Reeves, CG-24. The yards there are excellent.

[Desert Fox]

I reported to Yoko the day after Reagan got shot, USS Reeves, CG-24. The yards there are excellent.

Do you think they will fix her there or bring her back to Bath to be repaired?

[Noisy Rhysling]

I reported to Yoko the day after Reagan got shot, USS Reeves, CG-24. The yards there are excellent.

Do you think they will fix her there or bring her back to Bath to be repaired?

Seaworthy there, then head to CONUS for full fix, I think. C-FAY could handle it, but too many parts would have to go trans-Pacific.

[Desert Fox]

I reported to Yoko the day after Reagan got shot, USS Reeves, CG-24. The yards there are excellent.

Do you think they will fix her there or bring her back to Bath to be repaired?

Seaworthy there, then head to CONUS for full fix, I think. C-FAY could handle it, but too many parts would have to go trans-Pacific.

The Japanese do operate what is effectively a modified version of the Burke built domestically.

[Noisy Rhysling]

I reported to Yoko the day after Reagan got shot, USS Reeves, CG-24. The yards there are excellent.

Do you think they will fix her there or bring her back to Bath to be repaired?

Seaworthy there, then head to CONUS for full fix, I think. C-FAY could handle it, but too many parts would have to go trans-Pacific.

The Japanese do operate what is effectively a modified version of the Burke built domestically.

I left Reeves in drydock there in 1983. I would be fine with anything the JNs did on a ship I was taking to sea. We had to pull the LP rotor out of No. 2 main engine while I was there and the work went smooth and fast.

[Desert Fox]

I left Reeves in drydock there in 1983. I would be fine with anything the JNs did on a ship I was taking to sea. We had to pull the LP rotor out of No. 2 main engine while I was there and the work went smooth and fast.

Never in drydock anywhere myself other than Colonus Shipyard in Norfolk.

[Noisy Rhysling]

I left Reeves in drydock there in 1983. I would be fine with anything the JNs did on a ship I was taking to sea. We had to pull the LP rotor out of No. 2 main engine while I was there and the work went smooth and fast.

Never in drydock anywhere myself other than Colonus Shipyard in Norfolk.

My first ship, MacDonough, DLG8 at the time, later DDG39, was in drydock when I reported aboard. That was in Charleston, SC.

[c60Unit]

Fundamental question is how two modern, radar equipped ships manage to collide.   Even if the ACX Crystal was doing crazy maneuvers, shouldn't the Fitzgerald's crew have been able to stay out of its way?  There should have been radar operators on the bridge and in the CIC screaming at the office in command on the bridge about the danger.   

ETA:
http://www.vesselofinterest.com/2017/06/mapping-acx-crystals-collision-with-uss.html
This page has detailed tracking info, including an animation of the Crystal's course.  The author of this article (blog post?) believes that no one was at the helm of the Crystal.  The first course deviation occurred at the point of collision.  The auto-pilot then brought the ship back onto course and resumed speed for 15 minutes until the someone got onto the bridge and took control, reversing course to return to the scene of the collision. 

[Friendly Angel]

Yokosuka was my first foreign port... I liked it and went to see the giant Buddha at Kamakura.  There were protests there though because we had the capability of nuclear weapons or something (converted boomer).

I didn't like that there was so much American culture so close to base... I wanted to experience Japan.  So I walked and walked and found a Japanese restaurant where businessmen were eating with chopsticks from low tables sitting on the floor being served by women with little pillows strapped to their backs... that's what I wanted.   But the waitress made me sit at the picnic table they had special for squids and brought me a giant bottle of beer.

My first ship, MacDonough, DLG8 at the time, later DDG39, was in drydock when I reported aboard. That was in Charleston, SC.

My first ship was the Luce  DDG-38!  Out of Mayport.