Posted on 08/24/2017 9:34:47 AM PDT by Oldpuppymax
From NPR.org, a little more information about Navy ships:
"In June, seven sailors died after the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off Japan. Searchers found the bodies of the seven sailors in flooded berthing compartments.
Before that, the guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing vessel in May. And in January, the guided-missile cruiser Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay."
Read the article below and ask yourself what the Hell is going on in the US Navy. Ed.
By NavyPatriot
For those that aren't familiar with the Navy enlisted "rates and ranks," here's a little info that may explain some things. We have an enlistment structure from E-1 thru E-9. It is similar to other forces seniority from Private to Master Sergeant. We also have "ratings." They explain your particular specialty. BM, or Boatswain Mate is the oldest and most senior. They take care of the ship itself. Next is the QM, or Quartermaster. Unlike in other services, they are NOT storekeepers, but Navigation Specialists. There operate radar, sonar, engines, the commissary, etc. You get the picture.
On the Bridge, or very close to it (navigation and ops area) of any Naval Vessel when underway, one will find the QM, RD, and Sonarman. They are your "skilled" help. Also you will find a young seaman on the ship's wheel and a Commissioned Officer acting as OIC when the Captain is elsewhere. In my day, we also had young seaman on each wing of the bridge as lookouts…armed with binoculars! It should be pretty easy for anyone with common sense, even a Marine to figure out their respective duties.
The Quartermaster plots and charts the Ship's course, while occasionally checking the Radar screen and Fathometer on the bridge. The Radarman was constantly monitoring his screen, set out usually from 3-30 miles, depending on conditions and location. The two lookouts monitored the horizon continuously! Very small floating objects didn't always show up on radar but could possibly foul the propellers if hit. Everyone had their job and the OIC was responsible to make certain that everyone did that job.
Your shift was normally 4 hours. The roughest was midnight to 4 AM. Most guys had worked all day and had a little rec time before sleeping. You were normally at your worst on that shift, keeping the OIC on his toes! But the McCain's ramming took place just before or at sunrise. A fresh watch would have started at 4 AM.
Whatever happens, it MUST be found to be the fault of the entire bridge watch! Everyone must have been asleep! How do you explain NOT seeing a tanker ship the size of a warehouse bearing down on you??
Think about it! Ships are now full of gays, lesbians and LGBTQ's. Could THAT have anything to do with it? Are we spending too much time with behavior training? Or did 'obongo' plan some of this when he cut ALL of our military budgets? Think about all of our aircraft grounded for lack of money to buy spare parts!
I had better quit before I tell you how I REALLY FEEL!
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
and,
yes.
Yep - worked with a lot of “Squids” in my 24 year career and they have generally been some of the best trained and capable of any branch - even my beloved AF. The two warships being disabled by civilian vessels in such a short time and in the same arena tells me something is seriously wrong and I watched it head downhill (after climbing back up after the ‘Nam era) from the time declared the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” crap and escalate as Obama embraced those who identified by their preference for “partners/methods in orgasms”...
Thank you Bare-@$$ Obama.
Quartermasters operate “radar, sonar, engines, the commissary, etc.”?
I thought radarmen, sonarmen, enginemen, and storekeepers did that.
He has earned the name Traitorobama.
Nuclear missile silos ring a bell?
Never trust anyone whose primary interest in life is their genitalia - including hetero horn dogs.
Everyone must have been asleep! How do you explain NOT seeing a tanker ship the size of a warehouse bearing down on you?
Excellent point.
Though I never served in Navy (and I don’t wanna second-guess what happens on the bridge of a ship), it stands to reason that someone should have been aware of the closeness of the merchant ship.
And while not deflecting blame, did anyone on the merchant ship contact the Navy ship via radio and say (albeit in laymens terms “Whoa...WTF? You getting a little close to us!”
OIC was not on any watch bill I ever saw.
Any watch I ever stood included the OOD, the JOOD, and the CIC Watch Officer.
I know naught of this OIC of which he speaks.
In nine years of Minuteman III missile duty I don't recall any others. I do remember the mystery nukes showing up at Barksdale but that had nothing to do with the ICBM fleet.
We know what he means. What is infuriating, if true, is the absence of bridge wing lookouts.
I have a relative that served on the Essex-Class carrier of the same name, when it was assigned to ASW off of Cape Canaveral during the early part of the space program.
Excellent point.
Unless OIC is a "new Navy" term, the duty officer in charge was referred to as the OOD, even on quarterdeck watches while in port. (The author also doesn't seem to know what the various enlisted rates do -- QMs don't operate the sonar or radar syatems nor do they run the commissary.)
The only plausible explanation I’ve heard other than “human error” is the notion that systems were “hacked” or somehow made to provide a distorted view to the crew. But the bridge wing lookouts that you refer to would make that theory untenable, because unless the lookouts were totally asleep, they should have detected the threat even if the electronic systems did not.
Also, watches don't always end at 4 AM; on my ship underway we had a 'port and starboard' watch system...some called it 'chow to chow'...first watch of the day was from midnight to 7 AM, then 7 AM to noon, noon to 5 PM and 5 PM to midnight...you worked two of the four, 7 days a week while at sea...took some getting used to!
I have no idea how these accidents have happened; there are always lookouts on watch, or at least there used to be. A port, starboard and after lookout at least, who checked in with the OS sound-powered phone talker every fifteen minutes. How a huge container ship could 'sneak up' on the Fitzgerald like that is beyond my comprehension, but seems a gross dereliction of duty by the captain.
“What is infuriating, if true, is the absence of bridge wing lookouts.”
That’s hard to believe.
Well, it’s on an internet blog site, so it’s got to be true, right? /s
“for anyone with common sense, even a Marine to figure out their respective duties.”
Marines fly sophisticated jet aircraft.
Just sayin
5.56mm
Obama has torn America apart,the military apart and did all he could to weaken our country. The Democrat Party is Evil and must be dealt with.
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