Posted on 08/22/2017 4:45:32 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
The USS John S. McCain suffered a steering failure as she was beginning her approach into the Strait of Malacca, a U.S. Navy official has told news agency CNN. The destroyer collided with a tanker on Monday.
“The official said it was unclear why the crew couldn't utilize the ship's backup steering systems to maintain control,” reports CNN. Steering control was apparently regained after the collision.
The destroyer arrived at Changi Naval Base o Monday afternoon with significant hull damage. The damage resulted in flooding to nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery and communications rooms. Divers have started searching the flooded areas of destroyer for 10 sailors reported missing after a collision.
Admiral John Richardson, U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations, has called for a global operational pause as well as an operational review and a comprehensive review. The comprehensive review will “examine the process by which we train and certify our forces that are foward-deployed in Japan” including both tactical and navigational proficiency, and it will be in addition to the investigations that look into the details of the collisions.
The review will be headed by Admiral Philip Davidson, and Richardson says its scope will not only span the Navy, but look outside the military as well.
Some defense analysts have warned that longer deployments and less time and money for maintenance and training are a concern for the Navy. The crew of the USS John S. McCain had recently completed over 350 maintenance and repair jobs while at sea, at least 100 of which would usually be conducted at a ship yard. USS John S. McCain's Repair Division conducts an average of 180 hours of preventative maintenance a week.
There have been four incidents involving U.S. Navy vessels in the region this year: the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan in June, killing seven sailors, USS Lake Champlain hit a South Korean fishing boat in May and the USS Antietam ran aground off the coast of Japan in January.
An opinion piece in China Daily stated that the U.S. Navy was becoming "a hazard in Asian waters” and “a growing risk to commercial shipping."
I also notice that most media are reporting the McCain was approaching the Strait of Malacca. The initial reports said the Mccain was headed to Singapore. Strait of Malacca is west of Singapore.
Sabotage??
steering failure, not unlike the steering failure that McCain himself has suffered for many years.
Something with the name John McCain on it having problems? Get outta here!
Everything associated with John “Own-Ace” McCain seems to crash.
Interesting all from the 7 th Fleet
Steering failure?
It has been my experience that John McCain veers sharply left.
Rudderless, as its namesake..
...The destroyer arrived at Changi Naval Base o Monday afternoon with significant hull damage...
Apparently the steering worked ok later. So what, exactly, did they do to resolve their "steering failure"??? Run into another ship? The large-scale equivalent of whacking a piece of malfunctioning gear with the palm of your hand? If there is a steering problem... If it were with design/build then you would expect some of the other DDGs in the same class/flight to be experiencing it too. If it was from damaged or worn machinery then that is a failure on the crew's part to perform inspections and maintenance. If you are having trouble steering there's always "all stop!" even "all back full!" to prevent a collision. The newer turbine powered, variable pitch prop ships are *very* responsive.
Something stinks here, 4 mishaps in the area in a short amount of time... Either the fleet has become dangerously negligent in training and procedures - basic seamanship, or something intentional is happening.
Yes, and when you get caught speeding on the interstate, tell the state trooper that your accelerator stuck and became unstuck after he turned on his lights.
Ping. Humm......
Geographically challenged news reporters. None of them bothered to actually look at a map of the area.
Was it turning to port when it supposed to be going starboard?
My Freudian self, read the headline that John McCain’s brain had a steering malfunction.
How many electronic parts on these warships were sourced from Chinese manufacturers? Though it sounds a bit tinfoil hattish is it really that far beyond the realm of possibility that a few very specific components could contain a ‘backdoor’ of some sort?
Steering failure?
Yes - a loose nut at the steering wheel.
Or maybe the Russians hacked the computers.
Or the coming solar eclipse.
Or Bannon and the alt-right.
Sounds as if someone is grabbing at straws to protect the real incompetence leading to these two recent collisions.
many years ago, when I was Cheng on a 2250 class tin can.
Before the old man would qualify you as an OOD you one of the seamanship drills he watched you perform was to con the ship for an hour using only engine speed on both propellers, no rudder. During the drill he would give you several course changes to execute. We also had to handle the ship with a crew using the hand wheels in the steering gear spaces, simulating a hydraulic failure to the steering gears. Challenging but doable.
With the variable speed props on the Burke, should have been able to do that without much problem. Don’t know if their steering engines have a manual mode.
There are maintenance requirements to test what is called “aft steering”, located in the machinery room for the rudders. I was on aircraft carriers, but I would think the testing requiremnts to ensure the aft steering control function properly would be similar on a destroyer.
Knock the hell off with the damn jokes... US naval personnel died on this ship....take the politics jokes to another thread.
Nazi h8ters took over the steering because Trump.
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