[TXnMA]

"I wonder if that is from the “bulbous bow” of the container ship?"

~~~~~~~

Almost certainly so. And, as I expected, the sub-surface damage is forward of the upper hull / superstructure damage --- as predicted by this collision positioning study:

rlmorel and I did matching studies -- and (IIUC) we reached, essentially, the same conclusions:

1. No damage on the Fitzgerald indicates any forward displacement

2. The Fitzgerald exhibits massive "downward-smashing" displacement

3. The ACXCrystal shows no evidence of any aftward damage / displacement.

4. The USS Fitzgerald was traveling faster than the ACX Crystal while the two vessels were in contact, and may have been accelerating in an attempted emergency turn to port.

5. Fitzgerald "rode up on" the Crystal's bow protrusion, damaging Fitz's lower hull and heeling the Fitzgerald over to port.

6. The "heel-over" raised the Fitzgerald's starboard deck and caused the "downward-smashing" damage (clearly visible above) to be inflicted by the Crystal's upper bow.

7. Had the ACX Crystal had a bow lacking the forward underwater protrusion, the damage to the Fitzgerald would probably have been comparatively far less severe.

~~~~~~~~~~

I fully expect that, if rlmorel has any disagreement with the above analysis, he will "set me straight"... '-)

[mad_as_he$$]

You nailed it - nice job.

If those patch sheets are 48 inch wide material that makes the patch 16 feet long. If they are a meter (available material) then the patch is about 13 feet long. Assuming the overlapped the edges by a foot that makes the hole 12-14 feet long. My guess is that we are very lucky we only lost 7 sailors and not many more as the Fitz sank. From what I have read that is about the size of a WW2 torpedo hole.

[rlmorel]

LOL, I am not going to set anyone straight! (Finally able to surf FR again!)

But in looking at that picture from that angle, it sure does look like structural pieces on the Fitzgerald were displaced downward and forward from the downward motion of the Crystal’s hull.

Wow. I heard that hole was something like 12 feet high by 17 feet long...I just paced it off on the floor-that is a massive hole for a ship that size. Pretty amazing she didn’t sink.

Regardless of the apparent softness of the navy personnel, they still make those ships tough up in BIW...

[UCANSEE2]