“....I don’t understand how a collision like this could occur...”
What if the cargo ship wanted to hit The Fitzgerald?
Could the cargo ship “drive” so that they could ram our ship?
Was our ship trying to get out of the way, and the cargo ship kept coming at us?
It would be like trying to run down a Jack Russell Terrier with a train.
Sure, you could do it, but the Jack has to not be paying attention for it to happen.
If the propulsion plant of the destroyer is off-line, how long would it take to spin up the engines to get underway? Is there any condition where the propulsion plant would be off-line while the ship is not lashed to a pier?