BDB called it on the Fitzgerald, the destroyer that was hit, accident. The freighter was on auto-pilot.
I watched a documentary about the huge cruise ships and didn’t know that those behemoth also run on auto-pilot most of the time. I think our jumbos and wide-bodies do the same. Just think of it. These multi-ton things can have no one engaged steering. People get sloppy and then the accident happens.
I wonder how much of our lives will be on auto-pilot in the future. What are your predictions?
Brent, how often was your jet on auto-pilot?
Quote from the article, “The collision occurred at around 1:30 a.m. local time but was not reported by the freighter’s crew until around 2:25 a.m. Investigators believe the time lag was the result of the crew not realizing they had hit another ship.”
The ship hit something and backed out and kept sailing. The ship even sped away from the accident.
If the autopilot was set with a voyage plan, it sped up because the collision and the course correction it necessitated after the ship was knocked off course put the voyage plan behind schedule.
Once you give Iron Mike a plan, he sticks to it as best he can. That is what he’s for.
(“Iron Mike” == all automatic pilots)
Yabbut. . .why didn’t the Fitzgerald “see” it?
1:30 AM local time is I think the contributing factor.
Someone should be the Officer on Deck all the time. There is a military navigation radar, a backup radar, and the Fitzgerald should have been linked into the regular maritime system where all ships’ transponders are reporting their position and course.
There is more than one thing that had to go wrong for this to have happened.
Maybe that freighter had the latest drone and stealth technology. Wait, was it flying under the radar?
I am admittedly getting out of my area of expertise, but the freighter being on auto pilot indicates to me it was probably traveling in a straight line with a modest speed of advance (SOA).
That a US Navy destroyer equipped with SPY Radar sailed in front of something as big as the Empire State building going about as fast as bicycle in straight line tells me the causal factor is on the bridge of that destroyer.
Most ships have standing orders that if they approach within 5,000 feet (~1mile) of another vessel they wake the Captain. He was asleep in his stateroom when this happened.
I am also willing to venture a guess that it was a coed crew.
*
Container ships, even “moderate size” ones are huge. They do move faster than most bicycles, though: Taking my Dad for a sail on San Diego bay, one headed out from the south end of the bay. I thought it was moored south of the bridge. Next thing I knew I was hove-to in its lee when I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to cross its bow.
I went for an easy ride last Saturday and averaged 16knots. I don’t know that much about container ships, but that seems like a good clip for them.
What type of bike do you have, Brent?
I am seeing a lot more electric powered mopeds in Japan. I am not certain but I think they will also recharge themselves a little while going down hill. Japanese still use a lot of bicycles for basic adult transportation.
Cannondale roadbike. One of the originals when they were still U.S. made.
My daughter had one. Sold it for a fancy racing bike for her 1/2 Iron Man. Personally I prefer cars.
ok, I’ll give you that. My point was that it closed in what seemed no time at all going, I’m guessing, less than 10 knots.
Brent, I agree that the destroyer should have seen it coming and avoided the problem. Someone was not taking care of business or as you posit they were.
*
And we plan to further dilute the talent pool by expanding the Navy…
Does anyone know who usually has control of the ship at 1:30 am? The second or third in command? Fourth?
out of my area of expertise, for sure: a JO working on his/her SWO ticket.
Destroyers are small ships. I am guessing the wardroom is a 12-20.
The Officer of the Deck (OOD) could have easily been a a junior officer (03, Lieutenant, or junior). However, given that this is a very busy shipping lane and they were transiting at night it wouldn’t be inconceivable that a department head (O4, Lieutenant Commander) would have been OOD for a passage like that and even possible the Executive Office (2nd in command) was at least awake.
Whatever the case there is no reason a US guided missile destroyer sailed into the path of a ship that size or any ship.
Thank you for this. See, I was having trouble understanding how a guided missile destroyer could allow such a stealth vessel like a CARGO SHIP slip up on it. ?How in the heck would it expect to see and deal with a modern sub if it can’t find a behemoth like a cargo ship.
Someone’s going to be courts martialed over this.
Dev, are you not sure that it was because of Trump’s rhetoric?
I never thought I would ever see someone surpass W for the catchall blame agent. I am surprise the Dems don’t call the accident the “Russian Collision” and connect the dots to the Trump campaign.
;-))
I found this 6 minute video from a navy helmsman helpful to explain how things are done on a ship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQFSpLDla6c
Godzilla has sonar?!
So Now, they are implying it was not on autopilot:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/9a1ea514-df8f-3954-87f3-6583a286c8b2/cargo-ship-captain-says.html
Yeah, but that sounds like CYA statement by the captain. There is lots of signs that the ship was on autopilot.
One has to ask why it took over an hour for the Japanese Coast Guard to be informed of the crash. Or over a half hour for the container ship to stop and turn around to render help.
OTOH one has to wonder who was conning the warship. It is far more nimble and has sophisticated radar.
It will be interesting to find out just what REALLY happened.
Is there no audio of radio warnings?
If it happened at 1:30 why did it take so long to communicate?
Precisely.