“””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.”””
It appears the Navy is creating their list of excuses for these accidents. I have also seen comments complaining that Navy ships are now at sea for 3 weeks.
Compare Navy life to that of a Merchant Vessel Seaman. The Merchant Vessel Seaman is away from home 10 months and then gets two months vacation. While onboard a ship, there will likely be only 20 or so shipmates who steer the ship, do the repairs, and feed the crew.
We know our universities are riddled with snowflakes. Has our military also become a snowflake haven?
If a merchant ship had suffered the damage that either the Fitzgerald or the McCain suffered they would have gone to the bottom, their crews are not trained in damage control.
They stand their 3 watches, work an 8 hour shift and that is it. Each man on the crew has his own stateroom.On a naval vessel you work your 8 hour day, stand 3 watches, do GQ drills, HDQs at night, an unrep during the day. He sleeps in a compartment with 35 other men. The merchie cook, does that, he cooks. A Navy cook, cooks, is number 2 hose man in repair one and 2JV phone talker during sea detail and unrep. A able bodied seaman with three years experience probably makes $75,000 a year.
a Navy seaman with 3 years experience makes $22,600.
Comparing life at sea on a commercial vessel and on a Naval is like comparing apples and oranges.
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...:^)