USS Fitzgerald Collision

[Jimbuna]

Hopefully this tragic event will serve as a long lasting reminder to all who serve that certain standards must be maintained at every moment in time.

[Onkel Neal]

US Navy, citing poor seamanship, removes commanders of warship in deadly crash

"The collision was avoidable and both ships demonstrated poor seamanship." the U.S. Seventh Fleet said in a media release.

In the first detailed account from one of those directly involved in the collision, the captain of the cargo ship the ACX Crystal said his crew signaled the USS Fitzgerald with flashing lights around 10 minutes before the collision.

The Fitzgerald did not respond or alter course, it said.

The commercial vessel had the right-of-way under maritime rules and the Fitzgerald, which was hit on the starboard side, was likely at fault.

[Aktungbby]

The commanding officer, executive officer and senior non-commissioned officer of the USS Fitzgerald have been "being detached for cause," meaning that the Navy "has lost trust and confidence in their ability to lead," amid the fallout surrounding the deadly collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a cargo ship off the coast of Japan on June 17.
"We've lost trust and confidence in their ability to lead in those positions and they will not return to the ship," Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. William Moran told reporters at the Pentagon late Thursday. The 7th Fleet also said several junior officers were relieved of duty.

The Fitzgerald's commanding officer, Cdr. Bryce Benson, and the executive officer, Cdr. Sean Babbit, were both sleeping, and the master chief petty officer, Brice Baldwin, were not on the bridge at the time of the collision, according to the Navy. http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/17/politics/uss-fitzgerald-leadership-removed/index.html

The service members, whose bodies were found in flooded berthing compartments, on Thursday were posthumously promoted.
The Navy announced the following promotions Wednesday:

• Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, of Palmyra, Va., was posthumously advanced to petty officer third class.
• Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, of San Diego, Calif., was posthumously advanced to petty officer second class.
• Ngoc T. Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, Conn., was posthumously advanced to petty officer second class.
• Noe Hernandez, 26, of Weslaco, Texas, was posthumously advanced to petty officer first class.
• Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, of Chula Vista, Calif., was posthumously advanced to petty officer first class.
• Xavier Alec Martin, 24, of Halethorpe, Md., was posthumously advanced to chief petty officer.
• Gary Leo Rehm Jr., 37, of Elyria, Ohio, was posthumously advanced to chief petty officer.

[Platapus]

Who was the OOD at the time of the collision? I would think they would be first on the accountability list.

Can any Navy person tell me why they are going after the Senior Petty Officer? Is this the same the Chief of the Boat in the Sub service?

[MaDef]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Who was the OOD at the time of the collision? I would think they would be first on the accountability list.

The OOD will be disciplined along with the rest of the bridge watch.

Can any Navy person tell me why they are going after the Senior Petty Officer? Is this the same the Chief of the Boat in the Sub service?

The Command Master Chief is the surface equivalent of Chief of the Boat. The investigators probably found the training and operating policies on the ship to be lacking, and the CMC is responsible for that, which means he wasn't doing his job either.

[Onkel Neal]

USS John S. McCain Collides with Merchant Ship Near Strait of Malacca

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca, Aug. 21.

The collision was reported at 6:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time, while the ship was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore.

Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft.

Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities.

More information to follow.

WTH, US Navy? If you can't keep merchants from attacking you in a time of peace, what do you expect will happen with hostile warships go after you in a time of war?

[MaDef]

isn't this the third such mishap involving the 7th fleet, in the last 2 years? I'm beginning to wonder if the problem begins a little higher in the chain of command?

[Aktungbby]

underway east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore(strait?)

The problem in a nutshell: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:712515/mmsi:636017930/vessel:ALNIC%20MC For current position of Alnic MC, tanker.