I agree with Travis McGee:
Really seems like “Nautical Jihad”
Why the insane U-turn...?
Cuz it was DELIBERATE.
I have a huge amount of respect for Travis McGee (and you too, gaijin) but in light of information coming out, regarding the timing, I don’t think there is any hostile intent. I think it was caused by human factors.
But, as I have said on this specific issue, I reserve the right to change my mind as more information is available. At this time, I don’t think it was hostile intent.
>Why the insane U-turn...?
The Uturn was almost certainly the ship coming back to help after the ramming. It takes forever to turn a large cargo ship around.
My first thought was the MO....ramming folks...like on the streets of Europe... The hour of the day was an advantage.
Cuz it was DELIBERATE.
There's a story here posted yesterday that shows the timeline as originally reported to be incorrect, and that the ACX ship hit the Fitzgerald with a glancing blow rather than a t-bone.
Here's the link: Mapping the ACX Crystal's collision with the USS Fitzgerald using publicly available info
It shows a picture of the ACX Crystal's bow, and the damage is all on the port side, starting just aft of the bow.
IIRC, the updated theory is the cargo ship was on autopilot, and the strange tracking was actually after the initial collision as the crew of the ACX Crystal awoke and realized what had happened, and returned to render assistance.
Still doesn't excuse the crew of the Fitzgerald, someone screwed up.
Really seems like “Nautical Jihad”
Why the insane U-turn...?
Cuz it was DELIBERATE.
No. The container ship was on autopilot in a sea lane. Autopilot was disengaged and the ship turned around once the crew realized something had hit the ship.
I think Matt updated his view of the incident, the wild U-turn was after the collision, not before, so it’s much more understandable.
Does anyone know if either ship's guidance systems can be remotely hacked wirelessly or hijacked by some other means? One of these ships was intentionally steered into the other!
Yes, I thought too it was Nautical Jihad. slo-mo van crushing pedestrians/ in another medium.