Navy destroyer damaged off Japan-7 sailors missing

[greybeard]

For real missing this time.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/politics/ ... index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us ... story.html

Lots of damage it looks like. There's a an/sql-32 electronic warfare module missing, and looks like you can see right into CIC from above. The starboard refueling station was torn off and is laying down on the 01 level. I don't remember what is right below CIC--some kind of monitoring station. Below would be main pump room and a gas turbine generator.
I think CIC is where the arrow is pointing.
Just forward and below where the fuel station is laying is 3 decks of berthing.

 

[Craig Miller]

I don't understand how this could happen fretboard. Seems like it wouldn't be that hard to avoid another boat.

 

[Supa Dexta]

Having spent a bunch of time at sea it seems pretty ridiculous that a destroyer could be t-boned by another large ship. These things pop up on even basic consumer grade radar over 10miles away, and with the AIS system (Surely the navy has something better than what I can get at my local electronics store) it even tracks how close you'll come to one another and at what time you'll intersect - they musta had the alarm volume turned down!

 

[Turkeybird]

Maybe that fat lil North Korean dude had something to do with it

 

[ClinchValley]

Blows my mind.

 

[TexasBred]

Having spent a bunch of time at sea it seems pretty ridiculous that a destroyer could be t-boned by another large ship. These things pop up on even basic consumer grade radar over 10miles away, and with the AIS system (Surely the navy has something better than what I can get at my local electronics store) it even tracks how close you'll come to one another and at what time you'll intersect - they musta had the alarm volume turned down!

Especially something as large as a container ship. The things are huge.

 

[greybeard]

Dunno, you would think Fitzgerald's lookouts or their navigation consoles would have shown the container ship, unless the officer of the deck decided as a man-of-war, they had the right of way no matter what the 'vessel approaching from starboard has the right of way' says.
New photos show Fitzgerald sitting low in the water and a decidedly list to starboard.

The apparent major visible damage in the earlier photos is Radio..not CIC tho I don't see how CIC could not have also recied damage. Navy says the below water line damage is to the 3 berthing compartments and the machinery space where the generator and pumps are.



How Fitzgerald looked before:




Now, same area:




Fuel station#3 before:

I 'think' I have the spaces annotated correctly:

 

[Caustic Burno]

Having spent a bunch of time at sea it seems pretty ridiculous that a destroyer could be t-boned by another large ship. These things pop up on even basic consumer grade radar over 10miles away, and with the AIS system (Surely the navy has something better than what I can get at my local electronics store) it even tracks how close you'll come to one another and at what time you'll intersect - they musta had the alarm volume turned down!

Especially something as large as a container ship. The things are huge.

If that is what really happened.

 

[Supa Dexta]

unless the officer of the deck decided as a man-of-war, they had the right of way no matter what the 'vessel approaching from starboard has the right of way' says.

One of your ACC's altered course for my uncle and his sail boat years back. They then radio'd to him to say he looks pretty small out there in the ocean, asked if he was alright and if there was anything they could do for him. He jokingly said a beer and a steak would be pretty good, but failing that a weather report would be just fine.

 

[greybeard]

Having spent a bunch of time at sea it seems pretty ridiculous that a destroyer could be t-boned by another large ship. These things pop up on even basic consumer grade radar over 10miles away, and with the AIS system (Surely the navy has something better than what I can get at my local electronics store) it even tracks how close you'll come to one another and at what time you'll intersect - they musta had the alarm volume turned down!

Especially something as large as a container ship. The things are huge.

If that is what really happened.

Perhaps you can tell us "what really happened"?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Who knows sure seems odd a guided missle destroyer can get run over in open ocean. Doesn't do much for confidence level as far as defense readiness
We have a vessel that is supposed to be able to defend itself from air and water attack and gets run over by a container ship.
Talk about a system breakdown

 

[Nesikep]

Can you clarify for the marine ignorant folks what "CIC" is?

I really have a hard time imagining what could cause this collision as well.. I mean both have radar, and you'd think both are darned well big enough to show up on it... I can only guess that someone (maybe a few of them) would have been sleeping at their post. Accidents are pretty much never caused by ONE failure, but rather the "perfect storm" of failures all put together

Craig Miller, I'm going to guess you got autocorrected from "greybeard" to "fretboard"? that's a doozie!

 

[melking]

I find it just shy of impossible that this happened. I think something else went down and there is a cover up in progress.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I find it just shy of impossible that this happened. I think something else went down and there is a cover up in progress.

+1

 

[M-5]

I find it just shy of impossible that this happened. I think something else went down and there is a cover up in progress.

+1

+ 1000

 

[greybeard]

Any of you vastly experienced blue water marine geniuses/clairvoyants care to elaborate or grace us with your inside information sources?
CIC=Combat Information Center.
In this age of cell phones among the crew, it's more than a little clear that the container ship did indeed hit the Fitzgerald.

What went wrong is yet to be determined, but right now, I'd say it was definitely Fitzgerald's fault.
Lookouts not posted or asleep, or radarman not paying attention--all a distinct possibility. Helm, CiC and local engineering each had the capability to reverse pitch if ordered to. Only helm has the ability to alter course thru rudder inputs.

 

[Son of Butch]

What went wrong is yet to be determined, but right now, I'd say it was definitely Fitzgerald's fault.

Gut feeling is you are correct.
When information is slow to come out... seems officers are working on getting their stories straight, otherwise they
are very quick at finger pointing and releasing information as to what the other guy/cargo ship did wrong and how
heroic their own actions were under such 'challenging' conditions.

It was reported the bodies of the missing sailors have been found.

 

[Nesikep]

Thanks GB.. I figured it was something along those lines.

I would think it's the Fitzgeralds fault as well.. I think it's kinda hard for a container ship to run a destroyer down... though there may have been some fault on that ship as well

 

[greybeard]

Modern container ships have very little crew, and have a form of 'autopilot'.
Unless Fitzgerald was in the process of evasive maneuvers while trying to avoid another ship, or the container ship had made a 'U' turn, I don't see how it can be anyone's fault but Fitzgerald.
(unless Fitzgerald had suffered some sort of mechanical/electric problem and was 'dead in the water' art the time the collision took place.)

 

[greybeard]

According to local Japan broadcaster NHK, this is the course the container ship took that night.
(wiki entry under key word ACX Crystal from yesterday)
Although the cause of the collision is not yet known, local broadcaster NHK claimed that ACX Crystal made a sharp U-turn just before the collision (based on GPS-transponder data). The ship later continued to Tokyo Bay



I do not know how accurate that report is, if the mapping is correct or if it accurately reflects the numbers or locations of other ships in the area..or even which one is supposed to be Fitzgerald.