[TXnMA]

"The effort, called Operation Orion’s Hammer, focused on the reported failure of the aft steering mechanism that early reports say helped cause the collision between McCain and a chemical tanker off the coast of Singapore on Aug. 21 resulting in the death of 10 sailors, several Navy officials have told USNI News."

First reputable report I've seen of an actual systems failure WRT the McCain collision.

It was my understanding that the aft steering is simple and robust -- and is what made it possible to bring Fitzgerald into harbor under her own power and control...

Is such failure a common -- or known -- hazard?

[rlmorel]

That I cannot answer. I have no idea what the process is. It may be simple and robust, but I don’t know if they have people manning it during a special sea and anchor detail with a lot of ships. We should ask some of our fellow Freepers who may have had experience with that.