Woops! Us navy collision

What on earth were they doing anywhere near each other so far out to sea? Very abnormal for a large commercial vessel to let itself get anywhere closer than 1nm to another ship. Does rather suggest that the Fitzgerald (as a faster and more manoeuvrable ship) was the culprit in allowing a proximity situation to develop. Damage to its starboard side rather compounds the suspicion. And it seems likely that it was not using its AIS transmitter, so may even have been running without lights. Perfectly legal for them to run without AIS and lights- but then incumbent on them to stay well clear so that even erratic manoeuvres of another ship do not cause a collision.
 
Ric said:
What on earth were they doing anywhere near each other so far out to sea? Very abnormal for a large commercial vessel to let itself get anywhere closer than 1nm to another ship. Does rather suggest that the Fitzgerald (as a faster and more manoeuvrable ship) was the culprit in allowing a proximity situation to develop. Damage to its starboard side rather compounds the suspicion. And it seems likely that it was not using its AIS transmitter, so may even have been running without lights. Perfectly legal for them to run without AIS and lights- but then incumbent on them to stay well clear so that even erratic manoeuvres of another ship do not cause a collision.
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Do warships ever transmit AIS? Certainly the Croatian and Italian ones I see in the Adriatic never seem to be transmitting but that's as far as my experience goes.

Richard
 
From the spacing of the arrows leading up to that point looks like cargo ship as traveling relativally slowly.
The spacing of the arrows after that point, are far farther apart as it continues in on towards the port indicate it was then doing well over twice the speed it was doing.
 
Says US ship damaged below the waterline and three compartments flooded - is that sprung plates or did the cargo ship t bone it and the protrusion below the bow torpedo the destroyer?
 
RichardS said:
Do warships ever transmit AIS? Certainly the Croatian and Italian ones I see in the Adriatic never seem to be transmitting but that's as far as my experience goes.

Richard
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Around Plymouth, sometimes they do, often they don't.

A cluster of tugs around an empty space is also a bit of a give away in the sound.

I've never seen one transmitting AIS in the open sea though.

John
 
prv said:
Around the UK at least, the Royal Navy often transmit as "UK Warship", so they can be seen but not identified.

Pete
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That sounds like a sensible idea. When we were a few miles out of Venice last year there was an Italian naval ship a mile or two off our starboard side. There was nothing showing on the AIS so I took my binocs and read the number off the side. I then looked it up on the internet and it was a "naval supply ship" or something like that and all the details were there. It looked like a warship but I assume is much more lightly armed.

Perhaps they think someone might launch a missile at them with the AIS coordinates programmed into its guidance system? I assume this would be possible and would guarantee a direct hit? Who would want to do that on a sunny morning in July and where the launch site would be is not so clear. :confused:

Richard
 
The damage to the cargo ship was on its port side which indicates that it may have been the overtaking vessel and the warship stand on. But if the warship did not have it AIS switched on and navigation lights switched on then it is a moot point. If it was not an overtaking vessel then they were likely on a converging course and each vessel might have been confused as to which was stand on.

My sympathies lie with the cargo vessel even if it was the overtaking vessel. I see no reason for warships to switch off AIS in times of peace.
 

Do warships ever transmit AIS? Certainly the Croatian and Italian ones I see in the Adriatic never seem to be transmitting but that's as far as my experience goes.


During the Joint Warrior NATO exercises on the WCoS in spring and autumn most warships usually transmit AIS, or at least a number can be seen on Marine Traffic. Looking at their tracks I guess some are engaged in ASW exercises. The nationalities which I think are less likely to transmit are US and French; French ships seem to come and go on the screen, while US ships are very rarely seen, though I assume they are there.
 
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Regrettably I have to say that this is the type of collision that is most likely to happen on a warship. Another ship approaching diagonally from astern. Middle of the night, warship poodling along waiting for dawn, officer of the watch not very alert, lookout gone down below to do 'rounds', anyone else on the bridge chatting, visual blind spot astern on Starboard side, navigation radar blind spot astern.
Merchant ship on autopilot with a sleepy watch keeper.
I have been there, and seen the near misses that we never hear about.
 
7 crew members missing.

Defies belief that with heightened security around any military target that a warship can get rammed.
 
RichardS said:
Do warships ever transmit AIS? Certainly the Croatian and Italian ones I see in the Adriatic never seem to be transmitting but that's as far as my experience goes.

Richard
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We were passed in mid Atlantic by a French warship not transmitting AIS. It disappeared then returned for a closer look, this time with AIS on.
 
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