As I posted shortly after the event, It is my professional opinion (I hold a Coast Guard Masters License) The problem is systemic through out the navy. My last vessel was a FSV or Fast Service Vessel capable of carrying 200 tons of cargo on the deck,65 passengers and large quantities of fuel and water at speeds up to 28 knots. Normally I was the sole occupant of the wheel house. My duties included navigation, radar watch, communication/traffic control and vessel handling. I was also responsible for crew training and supplies. I never felt like I was overwhelmed because I had ability and need to understand and perform all duties with little help. It made me aware of the responsibility and helped me become more aware of our surroundings.
The bottom line was that I did not have to rely on 8 to 10 people in a chain of command to take evasive action in the event of a problem situation. My feeling has always been that a large division of responsibility insures that a certain amount of responsibility is lost.
In 1986 I was one of three OOD’s on a NIMITZ class CVN, 100,000+ tons combat loaded with 5800 passengers, 3.5 million gallons of JP5, a working airport and a nuclear plant capable of propelling us at speeds in excess of 32 kts. None of the OODs had to rely on anybody to take evasive action - that’s the reason the USN has Officers of The Deck. They are the Captain when the Captain isn’t on the Bridge.
Don’t quite understand where you got the impression an OOD has to rely on ‘8-10 people to take evasive action’. It’s never been that way.