Very similar account to what was posted last night:
Unconfirmed, from Reddit:
“I actually just got word from another shipmate that was on board the USS Fitzgerald as well. He said that the cargo ship did not appear on the radar and the lights were dim. They tried to turn, but by then it was too late. When they hit, the berthing rooms started to flood. They sealed off all the berthing rooms, essentially trapping the sailors because they thought no one was in any of the rooms to avoid sinking the ship.”
Nevertheless, poor seamanship at the helm. There are redundant systems on the bridge to warn of an imminent collision or a horizontal threat.
“He said that the cargo ship did not appear on the radar ...”
Say what?
It would have painted a smear on the screen so big that it would be noticeable across the compartment ... unless someone has found a way to create s stealth container ship which is invisible to radar even when fully laden.
Bogus report.
Also reported on heavy.com is the U-turn the cargo ship made:
It is a sad reality, but safety of ship comes first. An immediate action in a collision is to close all watertight doors and hatches. They are only reopened after there is assurance that there is no fire or flooding.
May these sailors rest in peace.
How would such a vessel not appear on radar?
How the hell does THAT happen?
No. Not that.
Look at the erratic course of the freighter 2 U turns, time of night. The freighter sustained little damage no loss of life vs the RAMMED berthing area of the Fitz. The Fitz had the Right of Way.
Article does not tell you the Captain’s quarters was also damaged and he was Med Vac’d out.
Two of the Fitzgerald’s berthing areas were flooded after the collision, which occurred at 2:30 a.m. local time Saturday, a time when most of the crew would have been asleep.
The Fitzgerald was about 64 miles south of Yokosuka when the Crystal rammed nose-first into the destroyer’s starboard, or right, side. It was a clear night, but the crash occurred in a busy sea lane.
Photographs showed the side of the Fitzgerald caved in about a third of the way back. The Navy said the collision inflicted significant damage to the destroyer above and below the waterline, flooding berths, a machinery area and the radio room.
Under international maritime rules, a vessel is supposed to give way to another one on its starboard side, and the damage indicates that the Crystal was to the Fitzgerald’s starboard, and therefore had the right of way.