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."
You can take that two ways.
That's only 4 1/2 sailors working at the job assuming a normal 40 hr work week.
Considering there are over 275 sailors/officers on board that level of repair doesn't sound too heavy to me for 23 year old equipment...:^)
I call BS.. if it was a steering g malfunction it was a #DistractedDriver on his you tube binge.
Check out the Alnic MC tracking on this youtube beginning at the 1:45 mark. Lots of ships heading into Singapore and the Alnic MC was traveling under 12 knots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dMBxK7bQsc
“Rudderless, as its namesake”
Its name sake was two admirals from WW2. Not the dip wad from AZ. His dad and grand dad.
His father and grandfather were, by all accounts, very able and competent naval officers.
His grandfather fell on his sword for Halsey, something he willingly did by all accounts, though the stress of it might have had something to do with his death immediately after getting stateside from the surrender in Tokyo Bay.
Yes, I have been soundly corrected in several posts.
Admiral John S. McCain Sr. was referred to by many as “Popeye The Sailor Man” due to his grizzled looks and his somewhat eccentric behavior.
He was a hard drinking man, and took to wearing uniform parts that were so shabby they provoked amusement in people. He had a hat that was so rotten and weatherbeaten it defied naval discipline, but was regarded as something of a good luck token by the crew. One day it blew off his head and was heading over the side, and the scramble to recover it before it did almost took a sailor over the side with it.
He was pretty shabby, especially in comparison with Halsey who was extremely fastidious about his appearance. McCain used to walk around, smoking constantly (apparently whether the smoking lamp was lit or not) and would drop ashes everywhere. Halsey detailed a sailor to simply follow him around with a dustpan and brush!
I kind of think I like that image...:)
It is easy to get them all mixed up...three John S. McCains!
He was also in extremely poor physical shape by the end of the war, had dropped to below 100 lbs. One of the things they found out early in the war was that there were too many senior officers (O5 and up) who were not up to the rigors in a war environment. There was a concerted effort to get them out of positions of leadership and promote younger and fresher men into those roles.
But men like Nimitz, Halsey, McCain, Mischner...they were in for the long haul, because they knew what they were doing.
Wonderful nuggets of history. Thank you!
Most welcome...interesting characters!
Not only that but if they were at sea & anchor detail for their approach to Singapore then aft steering would have been manned as well.
I have it on good authority that the Navy brass is seriously freaked by these episodes.
While scuttlebutt isn’t worth warm spit, scuttlebutt is saying that strange, strange things are leading to these incidents. Computer/navigational weird things.
Whispers of Chinese chips doing more than they were intended for.
If this is the case, we will never hear about it.
Dog,
What the hell is wrong with you?
It's clear that I wasn't joking.
I was drawing attention to the lameness of some of the "excuses' that have been floated as to the possible cause of both these recent collisions at sea.
As others have done as well.
Just go back and read the last line of my post.
Then take your virtue signalling and try it out elsewhere.
You can doubt it if you'd like, but those ships are often just put on autopilot. I have literally seen it multiple times - merchant seamen running out to the pilothouse when the collision alarm goes off from the autopilot.
You can doubt it if you'd like, but those ships are often just put on autopilot. I have literally seen it multiple times - merchant seamen running out to the pilothouse when the collision alarm goes off from the autopilot.
Sequestration catching up?
Electronic interference?
i don't know about naval combat ships, i bet they don't broadcast AIS, but i have been at sea many times and rarely recall seeing a large tanker of container ship not using it. so a naval vessel should be able to at least receive, but i don't know.
on the radar scan, a ship the size of a container vessel looks like a giant bratwurst. you could read a book by the return signal.
“Port engine flank speed, Starboard back full”
Not navy here but that should soon it like a top. Especially if combined with max permissible prop pitch in the appropriate direction.
I retired from the Navy in 1994. I suspect the features you mention are programed into the current tactical data systems computers on our Navy ships. AIS is unknown to me, Naval vessels are exempt from Federal regulations requiring that system. However that does not me0an that may have that system installed. Know what you mean about blip size. Have seen radar returns on 300,000 ton ULCCs in the early 80s in the same waters as the McCain’s collision.
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