7 Sailors Missing after Navy destroyer collision off Japan

[Stuart G]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) Seven US sailors are missing and the commanding officer of a US destroyer is injured after the warship collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, the US Navy said Friday.

The USS Fitzgerald suffered damage to its starboard side above and below the waterline in the incident. Cmdr. Bryce Benson was one of two injured sailors who needed to be flown to a naval hospital in Yokosuka, Japan.He is in stable condition, the Navy said

Other injured are being assessed, the Navy added.

The two ships collided in the Pacific Ocean about 56 nautical miles off the coast of Yokosuka, the Japanese coast guard has told CNN. The damage to the Fitzgerald resulted in some flooding, the Navy said.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/politics/us-navy-destroyer-collides-with-merchant-ship-japan/index.html

[Kittycow]

1. That's terrible :(

From the article, both countries are working together in all aspects. Japan is really on top of helping us with emergency services.

Gosh, this is sad. I hope they find the missing sailors. Their families must be beside themselves with worry.

[elleng]

2. and the commanding officer has been evacuated to a hospital in Japan (per msnbc.)

[The Blue Flower]

3. Hard to imagine how this could happen

Terrible

[INdemo]

6. With all the high tech radar etc, etc,its really hard to imagine and

yes, I agree..But could there have been some sort of hijacking? a Cmdr. is or should be experienced enough to maneuver his ship away from the path of any ships using the manpower and tech.gadgets he would have on the Bridge....

[atreides1]

14. There is another explanation

No one was paying attention to all of that high tech equipment! It was 2:30 am the captain was probably asleep, along with most of the crew!

Most of the injuries were from the crew being thrown from their bunks when the two ships collided!!!

[customerserviceguy]

37. Agreed

Somebody was asleep at the switch, in an area of high shipping traffic. I presume our Navy has the capacity to track a one-man sub that would try to blow up a ship, how they missed a vessel this big can only be explained by gross incompetence.

[paleotn]

18. Watch crew fucked up

The Skipper was probably not on the bridge at the time. At least I hope not for his sake. There is no excuse for this that I can even imagine, even in rough weather.

[Calista241]

33. Doesn't matter if he was on duty or not.

He's the Captain. It's his responsibility. He'll never command another ship again, and when he can't get promoted, he'll be retired. Shame, since he just assumed command of the ship, his first command, a month ago.

[paleotn]

34. That's correct. The Skipper is ultimately responsible...

but woe be to he or she that's directly responsible. Damn shame. His first command.

[Baclava]

15. Operator error on a billion dollar boat?

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[shenmue]

4. Oh no

[Not Ruth]

5. Missing sounds like they do not want to say dead

If there were 2 large ships with safety workers onboard

[Kittycow]

7. I know. .

If it's a recovery mission, I dearly hope it's successful for the sake of the families.

I imagine "everyone" wasn't that worried about their loved ones' safely since the ship wasn't in dangerous waters? I don't know about these things. ..

[politicat]

8. The sea is not kind and ships are floating buildings.

It takes a destroyer three nautical miles to stop. It takes a cargo ship up to five. Turning is difficult.

If the radar fritzed, if there was fog, if someone bobbled a decimal point in the nav math... well, the sea is not kind. It is an environment hostile to human life and requires consideration every single moment.

Many hopes and best thoughts from one Naval daughter to all of those on the sea tonight.

[Kaleva]

9. A destroyer can stop quite quickly by doing the crash back maneuver

"USS Destroyer full stop and reverse in 12 seconds from 33 mph"

[burrowowl]

11. Holy Moses!

[Pachamama]

12. Can it do the maneuver as its taking on water and possible other damage to the hull and equipment?

I am a sailor....I know how to do an emergency MOB maneuver too, but if my boat has been hit and taking on water and maybe even damage that effects my ability to maneuver the boat, it might limit a lot of my ability.

[Kaleva]

20. One would do the maneuver to avoid a collision.

Doesn't do much good after a collision.

[politicat]

13. in perfect conditions.

A cargo ship t-boning at mid watch in the second most crowded shipping channel in the world is kind of not that.

[Nitram]

26. The navy has cutting-edge sensing technology. Their can be absolutely no credible excuse

for this fuckup.

[furtheradu]

10. Thanks for this update

[FLPanhandle]

16. How a fast destroyer can't avoid a big slow container ship is unthinkable.

The bridge crew on the destroyer really fucked up.

[HAB911]

19. I don't know maritime law but.........

I'm pretty sure the cargo ship had right of way as do sailboats v motor powerd

fucked up indeed


I hate to think how the 7 missing died in their bunks, makes me sick

[Kaleva]

21. An unwritten rule is the bigger ship always has the right of way.

[Nitram]

27. Having sailed in Tokyo Bay among containers ships like this, no way does a sailboat have the right

of way. The rule is that the more maneuverable vessel must give the right of way to the less maneuverable vessel.

[HAB911]

38. Ok, makes sense

[paleotn]

17. There's one OOW..

(Officer on Watch or Officer of the Watch) who's got an awful lot of explaining to do, along with the rest of that particular watch crew. Negligence that leads to running your ship into something, much less losing crew members and getting your Skipper banged up in the process, will pretty well end a career at best. I feel a little cringe and tightening of the stomach just thinking about the "conversations" said OOW is in for.

[Kaleva]

22. When I was in the Navy, there was the OOD and JOOD

Officer of the Deck and Junior Officer of the Deck. Maybe they changed the names.

[denbot]

23. The Navy doesn't change in these respects.

Between the bridge and CIC, this should have never happened.

[Nitram]

28. Heads will roll.

[paleotn]

35. I've heard those as well....

...along with a few others not fit for polite company.

[dalton99a]

24. Ship is back at its home port in Yokosuka:

[Nitram]

25. If an American warship can't avoid colliding with a merchant ship, it doesn't sound like

they are prepared to defend themselves from an enemy vessel.

[CrispyQ]

29. How could this have happened?

Seven sailors missing after U.S. Navy destroyer collides with container ship off Japan

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-navy-asia-idUSKBN1972SW

snip...

Part of an eight-ship squadron based in Yokosuka, the Fitzgerald had in February completed $21 million worth of upgrades and repairs.


more...

Japan's Nippon Yusen KK, which charters the container ship, ASX Crystal, said in a statement it would "cooperate fully" with the Coast Guard's investigation of the incident. At around 29,000 tons displacement, the ship dwarfs the 8,315-ton U.S. warship, and was carrying 1,080 containers from the port of Nagoya to Tokyo.

None of the 20 crew members aboard the container ship, all Filipino, were injured, and the ship was not leaking oil, Nippon Yusen said. The ship arrived at Tokyo Bay around 5:00 p.m. (0800 GMT), sailing under its own power, the Coast Guard said.

===========
How did this happen?

A boat that big manned by 20 people. :O

[doc03]

30. How in the hell do ships collide especially a military ship? WTF no radar? nt

[Iwasthere]

31. Missing?

Still not seeing an explanation. Did they fall out of bed into sink holes in the floor? We they outside and fell off the ship?

[FLPanhandle]

32. The missing may be in flooded compartments

Those were probably quickly sealed off to prevent more flooding.

[Baclava]

36. Suspicious course from a container ship?

Why didn't 47 radars track them?