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The USS Fitzgerald Is At Fault. This Is Why.
gCaptain ^ | June 19, 2017 | John Konrad

Posted on 06/21/2017 6:16:08 AM PDT by artichokegrower

Every ship, regardless of nationality or purpose, is required to carry one terse book . This book is titled the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions but is better know by its acronym “COLREGs”. The chapters are short and to the point and ship officers are required to make marks of 90% on COLREGs tests taken to keep up their licenses. In order to pass this stringent requirement sailors have developed mnemonic aids to help them remember the contents. When the crew loses control of steering, the COLREGs demands that the ship display two red lights in a vertical line. The mnemonic for this rule is “Red over Red, the Captain’s dead”. Sailboats are required to display a red and green light and its said “Red over Green, sailing machine”. There are many more like this but one important rule for avoiding collisions with Navy warships is missing: “If it’s grey stay away.”

(Excerpt) Read more at gcaptain.com ...


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Under COLREGS, whenever two ships touch each other, both ships are to blame.

For this reason I am 99.9% confident the USS Fitzgerald will be found at fault… and so will the ACX Crystal.


Kinda long but informative article.

1 posted on 06/21/2017 6:16:08 AM PDT by artichokegrower
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To: artichokegrower

Wonder if the public will ever learn who was the officer on the deck when the accident occurred. It may tell the American people much about their “new” Navy.


2 posted on 06/21/2017 6:20:37 AM PDT by allendale (.)
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To: artichokegrower

There was a retired Navy guy on the radio yesterday who said that this accident was probably caused by a Junior Captain who was aware of the Tanker and that they were on a collision course and decided that rather than turn to avoid, he felt if he held course he could get past the tanker like a car thinking he could beat a train to the crossing.


3 posted on 06/21/2017 6:23:09 AM PDT by P-Marlowe (Freep mail me if you want to be on my Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitar Ping list.)
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To: P-Marlowe

Seeing as the CO was a Commander, I don’t think there was a “junior Captain” on board.


4 posted on 06/21/2017 6:27:11 AM PDT by opbuzz (Right way, wrong way, Marine way)
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To: allendale

The announcement of Courts Martial will be public.


5 posted on 06/21/2017 6:30:23 AM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: artichokegrower

How could such a collision take place in the 21st century, an age of sophisticated radar, satellite intelligence, global positioning systems, etc.?


6 posted on 06/21/2017 6:32:47 AM PDT by Fiji Hill
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To: artichokegrower

I want to know why this tanker whipped a nearly 180 degree course change and came at them. This does not excuse the destroyer from fault though.


7 posted on 06/21/2017 6:33:33 AM PDT by miliantnutcase
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To: artichokegrower

An unnecessarily long-winded explanation. Simply put, the smaller, more maneuverable vessel is responsible for avoiding a collision with a larger, less maneuverable vessel in open waters. Basic boating rule.


8 posted on 06/21/2017 6:36:28 AM PDT by lakecumberlandvet (Appeasement never works.)
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To: miliantnutcase

Flipped A “Uy”

Missed His offramp?


9 posted on 06/21/2017 6:37:31 AM PDT by Big Red Badger (UNSCANABLE in an IDIOCRACY!)
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To: artichokegrower

Ping


10 posted on 06/21/2017 6:39:18 AM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus-)
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To: Fiji Hill; All

How could such a collision take place in the 21st century, an age of sophisticated radar, satellite intelligence, global positioning systems, etc.?


Extremely busy sea lane with hundreds of contacts to keep track of, and one of the contacts masked by another or approaching on a radial that makes it hard to obtain a good fix on it.

Do enough complicated stuff long enough, and extremely rare things will happen.


11 posted on 06/21/2017 6:40:41 AM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: miliantnutcase

Simple insurance scam with wartime implications. The perps are definatly going to make it look like your fault when they mean to crash into you.

7 dead sailors, we still play tiddly-winks and argue about R-O-R.


12 posted on 06/21/2017 6:41:17 AM PDT by Delta 21
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To: artichokegrower

Thanks for posting. It was very informative & helpful for us non-sailers.


13 posted on 06/21/2017 6:45:11 AM PDT by House Atreides (Send BOTH Hillary & Bill to prison.)
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To: opbuzz

Yep. The Navy does not have junior and senior Captains on a ship. There is only one.


14 posted on 06/21/2017 6:45:39 AM PDT by sport
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To: miliantnutcase

It appears now that the cargo ship (not a tanker) collided with the destroyer before the U turn. The cargo ship subsequently turned around to investigate and perhaps render assistance.


15 posted on 06/21/2017 6:46:58 AM PDT by Locomotive Breath
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To: artichokegrower

I think it was intentional. The cargo ship made several major course changes that ships like that just don’t do.


16 posted on 06/21/2017 6:47:31 AM PDT by Revolutionary ("Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition!")
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To: Delta 21

I would of launched torps at them and dealt with that aftermath ;-)


17 posted on 06/21/2017 6:49:25 AM PDT by miliantnutcase
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To: artichokegrower
Every ship, regardless of nationality or purpose, is required to carry one terse book.

(Yes, this is a real book.)

18 posted on 06/21/2017 6:51:10 AM PDT by Drew68
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To: Revolutionary

No, it didn’t The reported time was off. The Crystal rammed the DDG before the “major course changes”.


19 posted on 06/21/2017 6:52:00 AM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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To: Revolutionary

Exactly, in maritime training school they teach cargo and tanker captains to be very deliberate in their courses inside major shipping lanes.


20 posted on 06/21/2017 6:52:07 AM PDT by miliantnutcase
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