Posted on 10/11/2017 7:18:19 AM PDT by mandaladon
On August 21, the guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain was rammed by a Liberian-flagged supertanker, the Alnic MC. Ten sailor were killed in the collision. (See my posts on the collision here.)
Yesterday, the US Navy announced that is had relieved the commander and the executive officer of the USS John S. McCain and called the collision preventable:
The commanding officer, Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, and executive officer, Cmdr. Jessie L. Sanchez, of the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) were relieved of their duties by Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, Commander, Seventh Fleet, on Oct. 11. Both were relieved due to a loss of confidence.
John S. McCain was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC Aug. 21 that claimed the lives of 10 Sailors, injured five more, and damaged both ships.
While the investigation is ongoing, it is evident the collision was preventable, the commanding officer exercised poor judgement, and the executive officer exercised poor leadership of the ship’s training program.
Interesting side note here. The senior chief petty officer aboard the USS Fitzgerald was relieved along with the commander, executive officer, and seemingly everyone on the bridge. That was an indicator that some major breach of individual training or discipline was determined to be widespread. The chief of the USS John S. McCain seems to have evaded the axe for the time being. As the same general fact pattern of the USS Fitzgerald was present, i.e. human lookouts not seeing a huge ship bearing down on them, the collision alarm not sounded until after the collision, etc., there is an interesting, if untold, story lurking here.
(Excerpt) Read more at redstate.com ...
After watching the AIS replay over and over, there were other vessels in the immediate vicinity making “cowboy-up” moves (rule 6) that are of questionable international rules integrity. Especially in a very heavily populated traffic separation scheme (rule 10). Sometime an abundance of caution will get you in greater trouble than blending with the flow. Even if the flow is demonstrating poor seamanship. Bad place at the wrong time by happenstance, me thinks. I represent no organization or company in this personal opinion.
Not necessarily. From a legal standpoint, the other ship may have been at fault. However, the Navy’s position is that the Captain should take any and all actions necessary to avoid a collision. If he didn’t, in the Navy’s view, then the Captain will be held accountable for the collision.
Brigadier General Frank Savage would be proud.
Named after his father (and grandfather?)
“commanding officer, Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, and executive officer, Cmdr. Jessie L. Sanchez”
I am SHOCKED the politically correct Navy relieved TWO “minority” (hispanic) officers at the same time. . . .WOW. . .
I think it after their grandfather, who by all accounts, was a crusty sailor but loved by his men, and who fell on his sword for Admiral Halsey.
Equal Opportunity Promotions?
The Chain of Command...
1. Hispanic- Puerto Rican
2. Hispanic -Puerto Rican
3. African American
Jesse Sanchez with a BS in Liberal Arts?
I can see the steering failure as preventable -- but, once it failed, was the collision (in those crowded conditions) preventable?
Too many as-yet-unanswered questions...
More Navy cover-up...
A scalpel in the hand of a competent neurosurgeon can save a life and preserve speech and walking to someone who may lose it.
A scalpel in the hand of a butcher will give you a finely cut steak, but it is a dead piece of meat.
A 30 million dollar state of the art sensor system on a billion dollar ship in the hands of a well trained, well drilled, highly motivated and well led crew can spot incoming ballistic or cruise missiles, target them, and shoot them down.
A 30 million dollar state of the art sensor system on a billion dollar ship in the hands of a poorly trained, poorly motivated person being led by people more interested in gundecking qualification reports on that sensor system, and more interested in getting the sexual harassment polices in order and signed off on, is going to be hit by a big, lumbering ship, not to mention rocks, shoals, cruise missiles or thrown grenades.
Agreed. Steering failure or not, there is something rotten in the US Navy.
12 O’clock high-classic.
Incompetent losers responsible for their men getting killed. Losers.
As I have stated earlier multiple times: “Every US Naval officer who serves on the bridge of any of our vessels should be required to take and pass all of the US Coast Guard requirements to be qualified as a Third Mate!”
We still don’t know what was going on in the bridge just before the accident.
it was determined that the McCain,rather than the other vessel,was at fault?
Well the cargo ship was moving pretty slow and snuck up on them so you cannot blame the navy crew......
Meanwhile a enemy missile moving a thousand plus miles an hour will be defeated by navy ship.
My CO had never experienced many ordinary seamanship evolutions, such as sitting in plane guard on a CVN, mooring to a buoy, or running across the Pacific without radar. But he did check the block for ‘Admiral’s Aide’.
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