NHK has video showing the damage to the Fitzgerald. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20170617/k10011020981000.html https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-us-navy-ship-collides-ship-off-japan-222317703.html USS Fitzgerald: missing sailors found dead in flooded area of ship | US military | The Guardian ht…

[image] Tupsis: I’d be surprised if they towed the ship home afloat… So would I. There are any number of HLV able to load her on their deck and take her to a shipyard in the States, No major repairs or strengthening need to be done, other than as already performed. But all such vessels are N…

[image] ombugge: It should be noted that all the crews on such vessels are Russians, although with Estonian, Lithuanian or Ukrainian passports. In today’s political situation that may be an issue?? The Cole hitched a ride on a Dockwise heavy lift after its attack in Yemen. If you’re referring…

[image] Tupsis: it is apparent that ACX Crystal hit the destroyer at “about” 45-degree angle Are you sure? Maybe, as @cthink posted, they first collided at closer to a 90° angle and the speed of the Fitz pulled the angle more acute crushing more as the angle closed.

Somehow I doubt this. Regardless of the loading condition, the container ship had several times the displacement of the destroyer. The global moment required to turn the 700 ft hull about a vertical axis would have been of such magnitude that either the bulbous bow lodged inside the destroyer’s hull…

Another opinion or explanation, with several comments.

[image] Tupsis: I believe it would have been USS Fitzgerald that would have rolled against the container ship’s starboard bow (which is undamaged as far as I can tell). Sorry, I didn’t mean roll in the typical context of a ship rolling but simply the angle between the two decreasing after imp…

No problem - I think I caught your meaning right. However, this is what I was thinking. However, considering that the impact point was well ahead of the COG/COF of the destroyer, I think it would have “rolled” on the port bow instead if the container ship had continued moving forward. [image]

I’m noticing more navy ships actually broadcasting AIS signals lately, including surfaced subs and a LHD.

The Navy has said that the Fitzgerald was on a routine transit IIRC, to Yokosuka. In that case the info from the captain/crew of the Crystal that Fitz “starting moving” while under observation by the Crystal is likely incorrect. Seems the most likely scenario is more or less parallel courses till…

AIS displayed on an ECS, particularly with radar overlay, is the most useful collision avoidance tool. Turning off AIS is a risky, even reckless, thing to do. For a great many watchstanders, if you don’t show up on AIS with your name and predictor line displayed, then you simply don’t exist. AIS s…

USS Fitzgerald collides with ACX Crystal off coast of Japan

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USS Fitzgerald collides with ACX Crystal off coast of Japan

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