I said most of the crew - this was was reported - that most were sleeping including the Captain
Not all of the crew
and yes, i understand “ watch “ duty because during 10 years of joint service I pulled my share in various agencies and during deployments
I have also heard that if there was any tactical maneuvering going on or any sign of a threat the Captain as a minimum would be on the bridge and few if any crew would be sleeping
Though i have only been on watch at sea on my own private vessel during overnight offshore passages and while at anchor
So at 2:30 AM with no alerts of a threat while stationary , off the shiiping lanes , in a holding area in the lee of several small islands, 65 miles off the harbor entrance - how much of the crew was on watch vs in quarters or on routine duty below deck?
As for the cargo,ship crew of 20 how many of them were on the bridge or on watch at 2:30am - “ most”?
Sorry, that hardly qualifies you as any expert in US Naval Warship watches. My 11 years as an Aviation Boatswains Mate does. Plus, even the Captain gets to sleep. Again, that's why Navy warships have around the clock watches, so others can get some rest after long hours of their specific duties. Even ground grunts are relieved to recuperate.
"So at 2:30 AM with no alerts of a threat while stationary , off the shiiping lanes , in a holding area in the lee of several small islands, 65 miles off the harbor entrance - how much of the crew was on watch vs in quarters or on routine duty below deck?"
Not sure those are the facts as yet.
As for the cargo,ship crew of 20 how many of them were on the bridge or on watch at 2:30am - “ most”?"
You really believe that a super cargo ship has only 20 crewmen? Those humongous transports operate by the same Maritime rules as any US Navy ship regarding watches. Your short stint as the "Skipper" of your boat dis-qualifies your input. Unless you served on a Navy frigate or above, you have no idea how the system works.
Still, I don't understand why the CIC mid-watch personnel with all their Aegis gear didn't see the freighter coming, not to mention the separate radar on the bridge. Aegis DD's don't miss anything with their state-of-art systems. That's why they are the best in the world.
Something is wrong here, but it's not because too many were sleeping with too few manning the systems as you imply. Watch, Watch, Watch. I had my fill of watches after my regular 12 hour flight deck duties.
My take: The CIC watch officer and the OOD on the bridge had a simultaneous fuck up.