As far as I can tell, both institutions (if you can call the merchants an institution) are extremely conservative in hanging on to traditional practices long after their usefulness has diminished.
I don’t think that the gCaptain forums are “anti-Navy”, especially since many of the posters were themselves in the Navy, but there are a few who seem to have a bone to pick with USN commanding officers in particular, and with the apparent command structure on a typical USN warship bridge. Don’t take criticism of the Navy as if it were a personal insult.
Yeah, agree, don’t misunderstand my position. I’m not attempting to excuse the Crystal from responsibility. The separate question still remains, “How did the Fitzgerald allow itself to be struck by a cargo ship?”
I would not. I don’t have a dog in this fight. The largest boat I’ve ever driven can be pulled behind a pickup truck. I do think that both external criticism and internal self-criticism are vital to the Navy’s future.
Fine, be dismissive. Being in a populated and unrestricted area exposes aircraft/vessels to passive observers. I don’t imagine that everyone in LA or San Diego cares,but Nellis AFB is in Las Vegas, Nevada, not Area 51. The other bases that B-2’s operate from are also not secret or undisclosed. Nearby residents don’t need the flight plans to know that one has taken off, or arrived. By the same token, there are many people who can directly observe the comings and goings of USN vessels in addition to the indirect observations made possible by observing logistics operations and related stuff. Anyone who wants to know USN arrivals and departures can do so with good precision.