[Billthedrill]

I'd believe the latter theory. In formation steaming, especially at any speed, you are concentrating so hard on keeping station that when a course change is signaled you tend to forget about everything but not running over the guy who will end up in front of you or the other guy who might cross your bow in the meantime. You get an "execute" signal and if everybody doesn't hit it at the correct time it can turn ugly so fast it's hard to believe.

Could eight guys get suckered that way? Yeah, they could, especially since there might not be a JOOD on ships of that size for another set of eyes and the Captain may not even be on the bridge. Probably not steaming in formation quite that close to shore might have been the most prudent plan. I'm guessing that came up a few times during the SOPA's courts-martial.

"Knox on the rocks" was a pretty good one too. Was a destroyer run aground because of a popular movie? Could be... ;-)

[Billthedrill]

...but it wasn't The Poseidon Adventure as in popular myth. I've heard that story once too often...

[Retain Mike]

On this one evolution we were steaming with another LST. We were senior. My Captain told me always to remember I am now OOD of a ship 500 yards wide and 2,000 yards long. The flag staff may have forgotten that principle. However, it doesn’t mitigate as far as the Navy is concerned.