A long forgotten movie by most, was a British movie called “The Cruel Sea” about the fight against Nazi Uboats in 1939 by a British Corvette.
After they get torpedoed by a sub, there is a terrible scene where the captain and crew on the bridge can hear through the voice sound tubes the men screaming and drowning in compartments below, and there is nothing that can be done.
I shudder to think of it. But you are right. You have to keep the ship from going down, whether in peace or war. A board of inquiry won’t excuse you if you let seven men out of a compartment but lose the ship to flooding. Sad to say, but true.
And those boards are harsh, and deliberately so. They want to set an example of what a Captain can expect every time, and the lesson is, don’t expect a board to save you...it isn’t what they are there for. Sad and unfair, but...it is true, and always has been.
Friend’s son was on the Navy vessel that was struck. Their son was found safe yesterday. He only joined the Navy about 1 year ago.