So, was it a "straight line transit through unrestricted waters" or was it a transit at night through very heavily trafficked and restricted waters with poorly trained/nonfunctional officers on watch?
Did his ship get severely damaged and sailors who were his responsibility lose their lives?
I'd vote to convict.
“o, was it a “straight line transit through unrestricted waters”
It was a straight line transit, diagonally across the freeway.
First of all, I misunderstood the purpose of the Secretary of Navy’s letter of censure.
I thought it was a summary of the case against Benson, and that Benson was going to be prosecuted.
In any event, the fact that the Navy decided not to prosecute Benson means - at the very least - that they do not have enough evidence to convict him.
Benson’s 18 page rebuttal is impressive....
It contains a radar image that clearly shows a straight line transit.
A bow camera clearly shows a ship 6 miles away, but the Crystal, the ship that rammed them, just two miles away, is invisible.
The waters are in fact unrestricted (11 miles offshore), and at the moment of collision, no other ship in the area was a potential threat to the Fitzgerald.
The course that Fitzgerald was on is still being used by the US Navy today.
And the officers and enlisted on Watch were all certified by previous commanders - before Benson got there.
The two enlisted men on Watch actually got promotions to chief petty officer after the collision.