USS J McCain / Alnic MC collision near Singapore

Plus the fact to hear “I am the white-hulled vessel off your port bow range 4.5 miles.” while in the middle of a TSS with dozens of ships within VHF range around is not going to help me much… unless you are really the only while-hulled vessel around. Not mentioning nighttime or poor visibility.
I would add that in some parts of the world there is so much chatter on channel 16 that unless you hear your call sign, ship name or MAYDAY you just have your hears off…

Stories are beginning to surface about the search and rescue operations being suspended external of the vessel. Recovery efforts will continue inside flooded compartments. The Navy has released the identities of the sailors. Thinking of everybody during this difficult time. :anchor: :us:

Details found here:

http://gcaptain.com/u-s-navy-suspends-search-missing-john-s-mccain-sailors-navy-ids-1-dead-9-missing/

My experience is that foreign ships are very reluctant to call or answer on the VHF. This has improved since the introduction of AIS. Part of this may be attributable to AIS and part to improved English language skills amongst foreign mariners.

I have heard foreign mariners express a very dismissive attitude toward American “enthusiasm” for using the VHF. It seems like they take pride in refusing to use the VHF.

I find this to be true most of the time, but a lot of non U.S. Ships have a tendency to wait until they are a mile off your port side to maneuver around your stern in a crossing situation. I tend to chock this up to the mate on watch either being “locked” on his track line with the ECDIS driving the ship or some sort of hell or high water standing orders from the old man to not deviate from the passage plan at all. Either one is something I try to avoid on my own ship. The ship is not on rails. Maneuver appropriately when needed, just don’t run aground.

I always prefer to make a clear showing of my port bow and clearly visible change of aspect at about 5-6 miles when I am the give way vessel. The course alteration will be less severe and it should give the mate on the stand on vessel a bit more comfort as to my intentions. It would be nice if that favor was returned.

2 Likes

Is there a big difference between how foreign and US Mates behave in a given situation??
If so, has that got anything to do with the ability understand and speak English? There are lots of foreign Mates who speaks English fluently and some US Mates who’s English is difficult to understand for anybody. (Other than other Americans maybe??)

As to whether there is a different bridge culture and custom when it comes how the ROR is interpreted when it comes to collision avoidance, or how Maritime Law applies to using VHF to communicate with other vessels is also a question I cannot answer.

In my experience VHF is a frequently used “tool” regardless of nationality of vessel, Masters or Mates. More so with the access to AIS these days.

I remember a situation where a ship that had just been purchases had been repainted white on one side, while the other side reminded black. Coming up Brisbane River the Pilot on our ship where trying to agree passing arrangement with the other Pilot on their internal communication channel, only to get totally confused by refr. to a white ship, while all he could see was a black ship coming downriver. (Before VHF became standard equipment)

I remember having a tanker go in between my vessel and a rig while we were running out an anchor on a PCC wire in the late 90’s. The rig crew was making transition - chain to wire at the time. We had out about 3500 feet of chain between myself and the rig. There may have been 2000 feet between me and the rig at the most. Then, here comes a Liberia flagged chemical tanker doing 15 knots…never answered hails…shining spot light and shooting flares didnt work…the ship went right in between us. My biggest consern (besides getting hit) was to fall back even further to make sure the ship didn’t catch any caternary and trip us. There is no language for having your head up your ass.

3 Likes

I had the same thing happen, the ship never responded to me or the rig calling him.

This sequence of events has even made it into this week’s Economist…

Not really. One is called “Captain” the other is called “XO”.

Im aware of their titles, Im just saying it would be confusing to have two people of the same rank and same name on the same boat

Some articles I just read other may find interesting…

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2017-08/collisions-part-i—what-are-root-causes

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2017-08/collisions-part-ii—operational-pause

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2009-01/rude-awakening

3 Likes

just another curious theory

Just another oxygen wasting moron.

2 Likes

I would rather call him warmonger.

Especially the first two links are very enlightening. One observation in particular says it all I believe:

they preside over wardrooms of officers who have no such training. In short, when the crunch came, they were supported by officers who did not possess the wherewithal—sufficient real experience to assess problem situations and act promptly on them to avoid catastrophe—to truly support the COs.

As these officers with a serious lack of training are the next generation of CO’s so one may expect in the future more of the same tragedies. By ending the training facilities for only budgetary reasons as they did seems almost to be a criminal act to me. You donot win a war with undertrained officers. How could this happen? Unbelievable.

3 Likes

In the discussions and investigations of Fitz and McCain, they should not forget/leave out the Porter.

It was 5 years ago now, but is clearly part of the same ‘pattern’ - an obviously incompetent dysfunctional (AB DDG) bridge team. But Navy chose to not investigate that seriously/systematically, picking the ‘few bad apples’ easy excuse.

Or the USS Guardian. Same story same reasons, same findings, different day.

"USS GUARDIAN leadership and watch teams failed to adhere to prudent, safe, and sound navigation principles which would have alerted them to approaching dangers with sufficient time to take mitigating action. "

IMG_2109

Looking at the bent plating at the right the Alnic MC hit the John McCain at an angle of something like 45°. Also the dent in main deck plating and the railing suggests the same.

ALNIC MC sustained damage to her Fore Peak Tank 7m [23 feet] above the waterline, with no crew injuries," the statement read.

You donot have to wait too long before this sort of ‘funny pictures’ will surface…

1 Like

Doesn’t look like the bulbous has suffered any damages from cutting into the this skin and weak frames of the destroyer.

Somebody is gaining from the USN’s misfortune: http://www.todayonline.com/world/us-navy-collisions-propaganda-windfall-china