Let’s suppose the captain of the ACX Crystal really wanted to ram the Fitzgerald. Wouldn’t he be moving ahead at flank speed? Combine that with the weight of the Crystal, and I’m thinking the the Fitzgerald would crumple, then sink.
And there doesn’t seem to be any scraping marks on the Fitzgerald. That seems to indicate that the did not Fitzgerald did not turn away.
My totally wild guess: the Crystal hit the Fitzgerald by accident, then went into full reverse. It might have even been in reverse when contact was made. Otherwise, how could the Fitzgerald survive?
I’m a landlubber, so I’m depending on folks who know way more than I do. But 2 thoughts: If I have hostile intent, would I approach at flank speed, knowing that might tip off my target to my intent? Especially since my mass matters more than my speed. Second, ram implies, to my mind anyway, an intent to t-bone, which would be impossible to do by coming up from behind the target. All that’s needed is a collusion.
Maybe there was a confrontation between the two ships. Was Fitzgerald trying to stop the Crystal? I think they would have reported that, but maybe not.