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posted by martyb on Wednesday January 17 2018, @06:18PM   Printer-friendly
from the actions-and-reactions dept.

Naval Commanders In 2 Deadly Ship Collisions To Be Charged With Negligent Homicide

The U.S. Navy announced Tuesday that the commanding officers of two vessels involved in separate collisions in the Pacific Ocean last year will face court-martial proceedings and possible criminal charges including negligent homicide.

The statement by Navy spokesman Capt. Greg Hicks says the decision to prosecute the commanders, and several lower-ranking officers as well, was made by Adm. Frank Caldwell.

[...] In the case of the USS Fitzgerald, the commander, two lieutenants and one lieutenant junior grade face possible charges of dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel and negligent homicide.

The commander of the USS John S. McCain will face possible charges of dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel and negligent homicide. A chief petty officer also faces one possible charge of dereliction of duty.

Previously: U.S. Navy Destroyer Collides With Container Vessel
10 Sailors Still Missing After U.S. Destroyer Collision With Oil Tanker
Chief of Naval Operations Report on This Summer's Destroyer Collisions


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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by frojack on Wednesday January 17 2018, @07:32PM (3 children)

    by frojack (1554) on Wednesday January 17 2018, @07:32PM (#623740) Journal

    There are also some rumors that the somebody (state actors [snopes.com]) was spoofing the GPS, one or both ships were not running radar at the time, and one or more of the watch keepers were not at their stations. (The mentioned Chief is likely one of these).

    https://newstarget.com/2017-08-26-was-the-uss-john-s-mccain-warship-gps-spoofed-to-cause-collision.html [newstarget.com]

    These may be stories made up to cover various asses, but they have to be checked out, and apparently they have been, to the satisfaction of the Navy.

    There are supposed to be levels of backup for everything. Multiple Radars, covered by watch standing, GPS nav, covered by old fashion course plotting, etc.
    Its designed such that not everything can go gunny sack at once.

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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by gottabeme on Wednesday January 17 2018, @07:51PM (1 child)

    by gottabeme (1531) on Wednesday January 17 2018, @07:51PM (#623751)

    There are supposed to be levels of backup for everything. Multiple Radars, covered by watch standing, GPS nav, covered by old fashion course plotting, etc. Its designed such that not everything can go gunny sack at once.

    Well that's the problem: the fact that the accidents happened in spite of those levels of backup seems implausible.

    And, in fact, the public report the Navy issued does not explain why the collisions happened. It explains factors that led to them, but it does not explain why those factors happened. For example, it doesn't explain why the CICs failed to communicate with the bridges, nor why the captain was not alerted despite his orders to do so, nor why the visual lookouts failed to report the other ships, etc.

    Poor training, while apparently a contributing factor, is not a sufficient explanation, because it doesn't explain why the guys with binoculars, ostensibly, stood idly by while the other ships approached. It doesn't explain why the crews allowed the collisions to occur.

    For those reasons, as well as the timing, location, and the matter of North Korean nuclear ambition and ballistic missile defense, I think there is much that was left out of the Navy's publicly issued reports, and much more to the stories than we will ever hear.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 18 2018, @03:41PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 18 2018, @03:41PM (#624170)

      it doesn't explain why the guys with binoculars, ostensibly, stood idly by while the other ships approached

      You know those ships do not turn and tack on a dime, don't you? Because you think you understand collision avoidance in a moving vehicle, don't assume you know how naval vessels and especially container ships maneuver.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 18 2018, @09:28AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 18 2018, @09:28AM (#624075)

    No matter whether you are in a car, a plane or on a ship, what's outside the window ALWAYS overrules what theGPS says.

    While the old lady who followed the GPS' instructions to drive onto the ferry without first checking that the ferry was docked could be excused (GPS wasn't around when she got her drivers license), those in command of a navy ship should be aware of this.