“””IMO if they had simply maintained speed, or even increased speed, they would have crossed the bow. It might have been close, but no hit.”””
And by doing so the JSM would have entered the Singapore outbound lanes and would have been clobbered on it starboard side by an outbound ship.
The marine traffic in and out of Singapore is like a multilane interstate highway. There were many ships heading into Singapore that morning and the JSM cut across the inbound lanes and got hit.
I am certain many people have seen the car driver who cuts across several freeway lanes to take an exit.
The JSM would have seen the traffic ahead and behind them. With the CO and XO both on the deck that morning, the JSM steered their ship across the traffic lanes and got hit.
Gross incompetence is the only logical cause for 10 dead sailors.