[Lou L]

The merchant ship was operating on auto-pilot, with all humans sound asleep.

That would never occur; i.e., all humans asleep. Certainly not in a busy sea lane around Japan. An auto-pilot on a ship maintains course and speed; it doesn't avoid obstacles.

[TennesseeProfessor]

http://www.vesselofinterest.com/2017/06/mapping-acx-crystals-collision-with-uss.html