Quote Originally Posted by GaryNW View Post
There is sure a lot of brutal finger-pointing here. Can we wait for the investigation? At least 3 agencies will do one.
While I cannot speak to todays navy some 50 years ago I was a radarman on a destroyer and yeah we stopped at Yokuska on the way to Vietnam.
1) a radarman in CIC was always assigned the "scope". When you had the duty, you did not leave the scope for even 5 seconds. Hell, the butt-kit was literally bolted to the side of the console!So this guy was connected to another RD on the bridge who stalked the OD. Nine months of 'A' school was certainly sufficient to train about collision course and CPA.Back then we would use a grease pencil to extend the "pecker trail" to the center of the scope. You had your grease pencil, a rag and a cig in your mouth.
2} Then, as now, the radar was watched 24/7 even when 1000 mile from nowhere. Merchantmen and yes, 95000 ton cruise ships with 5000 soles aboard, do not post a constant radar watch.
3) Something went real wrong here-even assuming the container ship did a wild 180. This class of destroyer can stop in it's own length at flank speed!

USS Braine, DD630, Constellation battle group-if you care. Geez, I am getting old.

Gary
Thank you for your service Sir. My Dad was on the the John W. Thomason (DD-760), served in the Korean War. Sailors back then were made of steel. I was in the Navy from 1980-1984. We were tough but nothing like you guys. We even had airconditioning on my ship. There's no excuse for this collision to happen. The military has transformed into something like the boy scouts. My buddies ship went on a West Pac with 50 women onboard. 25 women got pregnant on the trip. You dont hear about that on the news. Its politically incorrect to talk about. Who knows what they were doing on the bridge tracking that ship. Prolly some young officer of the deck was on duty playing a game on his iphone