“But going to jail for following a lawful order, is not right.”
The thing is, Mariner was right. The safety of the ship was the captain’s responsibility, and he was asleep in his cabin with three incompetents on the bridge, no port lookout, and no starboard lookout.
Further, IIRC, once in extremis, the OOD came left.
If we still had Surface Warfare Officer School, she would have known that you *never* come left to avoid a collision.
Never?
Never.
But what if that’s the only way to avoid the collision?
Come right.
But what if God himself appears and tells you to come left?
Come right.
But...
Right.
Well, what if...
Come right!
When I heard she came left, I almost pickled one off.
The ‘come right’ mandate is very similar to boating in general. That’s why small boats have red and green lights on the front. If everyone follows the ‘rule’, then no one crashes.