The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald sits in Dry Dock 4 at Fleet Activities Yokosuka to continue repairs and assess damage sustained from its June 17, 2017 collision with a merchant vessel. (U.S. Navy photo/Christian Senyk)
Pleaded?
Plead.
OK I recently read an article that said there were two FEMALE officers in charge that night, in positions that normally involve nearly constant communications between those two posts- but there was nearly none that night because they were not speaking to each other...
This commander was ASLEEP... wtf?
This captain was assigned an incompetent untrained crew of female officers. At the time of the collision, the two female officers running the ship were having a hen fight and not talking to each other.
Their incompetence caused this collision.
If this captain had clamped down on them with more training or had them reassigned off the ship the diversity police and the cowardly Navy command structure would have thrown him out of the service.
Welcome to the world of a diverse, women and minority led Navy.
Pray that the Chinese or Russians or Iranians don’t attack.
A coverup for the incompetence of the female officers forced upon him.
In a different era, these bottom feeders would be made to take a walk on the plank.
Anyone who put women in charge of navigating the ship have obviously never seen women try to back up a trailer. :)
I can see reaming the Captain on general principles but why the HELL doesn’t the OOD go down hard? How on earth is this sensible or even possible?
This isn’t the Chester Nimitz or Hyman Rickover Navy (let alone, JP Jones and DG Farragut) Navy anymore.
They would have suggested that the captain commit suicide for management incompetence rather than expose the Navy to the embarrassment of a court martial for an accident like this.
And the captain would have complied willingly.
Hope his lawyer drags the senior brass through the mud for forcing incompetent affirmative action hires on him with grossly inadequate training. Bring down the whole house of cards.
US Navy stopped teaching basic seamanship several years ago. They might want to revisit that decision.