This is 2017, so unless these are intentional, the United States Navy needs to not be having random collisions between their vessels and civilian ships. The USS John S. McCain, which was sailing east of Singapore, hit a merchant ship on Monday morning (local time).
The U.S. Navy says 10 sailors are missing and five are injured after the USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant ship near Singapore.
The guided-missile destroyer collided with the Alnic MC, an oil and chemical tanker, in waters east of Singapore and the Straits of Malacca early Monday.
The Navy said Osprey aircraft and Seahawk helicopters from the USS America were assisting. It also said tugboats and Singaporean naval and coast guard vessels were in the area to render assistance.
Considering that this is just days after formal discipline for the commanding officers of the USS Fitzgerald, which had its own collision just two months ago, which resulted in the death of seven sailors.
With this being the second collision in two months, should we count them up as random incidents, or does the Navy need to put all their command personnel back into driver’s ed, as it were?
Given the state-of-the-art GPS technology I wholeheartedly agree. Heck maybe we should have the USN go back to sailing with compasses.
— Ray H. (@EmpireCityRay) August 21, 2017
Given the impending speech by the president this evening that will discuss future military strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia, the Navy had better figure out how to steer ships without hitting anyone.
In the meantime, our hearts go out to the families of the missing, and we pray that they will all be safely accounted for. And we continue to pray for the families of those who lost their lives on the USS Fitzgerald.
UPDATE 10 am EDT:
The USS John S. McCain has arrived in Singapore with “significant damage” to her hull.
Damaged USS John S. McCain docks in Singapore after collision that left 10 US sailors missing https://t.co/7QlrDejUOg pic.twitter.com/MTZdmPro4Y
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) August 21, 2017
And this is not much of a surprise:
BREAKING: US defense official says Navy chief orders wide investigation of Pacific fleet after two recent collisions.
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 21, 2017
There has to be some kind of explanation for this.
With this being the second collision in two months
It’s the fourth this year, if you include one incident of running aground.
Heck maybe we should have the USN go back to sailing with compasses.
Yes, we absolutely should. Reliance on too much technology is what gets you turning down the railroad track because your GPS said “turn right now”.
And, God’s comfort to the families of those injured, missing and dead.
It’s looking like the military has gotten sloppy. Wonder why that is…
Is this the effect of Obama’s actions? He forced quite a number of generals, admirals and other combat trained senior officers. Who replaced them, all those armchair ‘warriors’ inside the Pentagon?
Somehow I keep thinking “once is bad luck, twice is suspicious, three times is enemy action”.
With the reliance on electronics, electronic warfare (spoofing in this instance) becomes a much bigger problem.
The loss of the sailors is a tragedy. However, the USS McCain did not “hit a merchant vessel”. It is clear from the pictures, that the merchant vessel hit the McCain. Of course, this should not have happened but it helps to get the English right.
Maybe the ship kept veering to the left, like its namesake?
It was named for the father and grandfather of that person in the Senate, not for the Senator himself.
Someday they might name a ship after the Senator. I’d hate to be navigator on that one, for the reason you mention.
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