OT: U.S. Navy Destroyer Collides With Merchant Vessel Off Coast Of Japan

[MakeeLearn]

U.S. Navy Destroyer Collides With Merchant Vessel Off Coast Of Japan


"The U.S. Navy says one of its destroyers, USS Fitzgerald, collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel off the coast of Japan. The collision with the container ship ACX Crystal took place around 2:30 a.m. Saturday local time."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa- ... SKBN1972SW

Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCO1Bb4c3t4

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... t-of-japan

[Jorge_Stanbury]

hard to believe that in this "radar era" there are still ship collisions

[Alpha77]

Strange damage pattern, also they say it is "listing" and taking on water, but seems only some superstructure damage?

Btw, these DDs seem pretty big, more like a light cruiser I realized from the pics

Ok, the other ship is much bigger, this explains the damage probably...see here acx crystal:

[rustysi]

Oooo, someone's Naval career just took a turn for the worst.[8|]

[wdolson]

From what I heard on the news, the destroyer has damage below the waterline, though it isn't obvious from the pictures. I guess some crew members of the DD are missing.

I think the DD's captain might be looking at the end of his career. You would think the radar on both ships would have given both ships clear warning.

Bill

[BBfanboy]

Most large ships these days have the "forefoot" projecting ahead of the ship to reduce the bow wave and thus save fuel. So the forefoot likely punched into the hull underwater and the clipper bow damaged the bridge, but the knife edge of the bow did not cleave into the DD.

Radar may have shown them but in a crowded bay entrance there may have been lots of maneuvering to avoid other ships too. It wouldn't take many mistakes to end up on the wrong course and if both ships change in the same direction to avoid the collision ... you get an 'oops'.

Since the DD was not cut in half, it looks like the container ship captain knew it could not turn away in time so it reversed its engines.

[nashvillen]

Look at the pic of the ACX, BBfanboy has it right, the bowbulb has punched a large hole in the hull below the waterline more than likely.

[rjopel]

Check out the bulb on the front of the cargo ship. Probably punched a big hole below the waterline at 2am.

[spence]

The damage on both ships indicates that one or the other conning officer failed to obey the International Rules of the Road. Somebody's career as a ship's officer has most certainly ended. Failing to conform to the IRR without losing your "license" essentially means no collision occurs.

The IRR would have the two ships passing starboard side to (starboard ((the right side to you landbubbers) in the direction of the other ship). Hate to say it but I'm guessing Ensign/Ltjg on the USS Fitzgerald will be the one who gets hanged (figuratively).

[Reg]

Looks to me that they were travelling in the same direction as USS Fitzgerald had damage to the starboard and the container ship had damage to her port bow.

[spence]

The investigation will sort it out. I would guess that there would be more damage further astern on both ships had they been traveling in something like the same direction. I'm not the one with the ship's logs though.

[Sundowners]

Not just RADAR, but all commercial vessels (> 250T I believe) are required to have an AIS transponder that continually transmits the vessel's course, speed, and other data. The DD has, or should have, both military and commercial receivers that can get the AIS data. So most likely cause will turn out to be human failure as is the case in most collisions at sea.
We can all hope for a miracle and the seven unaccounted sailors are still alive. Another, most likely preventable, tragedy.

[LeeChard]

I too am stunned that this can happen with all the electronic aids to navigation available.

[pmelheck1]

so just how did the DD sail as to hit the bow of a ship with it's side. I always thought that ships sailed with the pointed or rounded end going first rather than the sides going first and ramming the bow of a ship. news states that the DD rammed the container ship. I might understand if the dd was hit because it didn't got out of the way but that would imply the DD was struck not hitting the other ship as is being reported. So if our ship hit the container as is being reported wouldn't damage at least be more forward on our ship and not on the bow of the container? I know we have conards on aircraft that allow them to fly sideways sort of but haven't heard of them on ships before now.

[patrickl]

Our Singapore Navy got a similar accident, RSN Courageous, a patrol craft collided with a tanker some 15 km north east of Singapore near South China Sea in Jan 2003. 4 female sailors sleeping in the aft bunk were killed. The ship was conned by a trainee under the supervision of the executive officer. The trainee was trying to speed up to pass a tanker ahead but was too slow to avoid the incoming tanker. The court found the executive officer and trainee guilty and fined them and then the Navy sacked them. The body of one of the dead sailor was never recovered. May her soul rest in peace. [:(]

The link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_Courageous

[nashvillen]

Reports are some of the missing sailors have been found in the previously unaccessible compartments. How many and who they are the USN is staying understandably tight-lipped about.

Edit: Sad to say an update to this report that all seven were found deceased. Fair winds and following seas.

[spence]

so just how did the DD sail as to hit the bow of a ship with it's side. I always thought that ships sailed with the pointed or rounded end going first rather than the sides going first and ramming the bow of a ship. news states that the DD rammed the container ship.

If the ships were of comparable size your question would seem reasonable. The picture might be clearer to you if there was a picture of the two ships side by side. The USN ship is reported to be big ( ~9000 tons) but it is less than a 1/3 the size of the container-ship (~30000 tons). In the photo of the container-ship that is included it appears that the overhang of the main deck forward near the bow is 15 ft on either side.

[Bearcat2]

Strange path by the container ship according to this site:

http://halturnershow.com/index.php/news ... -broadside

[Yaab]

Maybe the ship's captain got radicalised? you never know.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

Maybe the ship's captain got radicalised? you never know.

Even if the container ship was purposely trying to ram the destroyer, the speed and maneuver rates of a freighter vs a destroyer would make this impossible, unless you have a serious neglect of duty. I mean why they didn't call "general quarters". That enough would had probably saved the lives of those sleeping sailors