Worse than you thought: inside the secret Fitzgerald probe the Navy doesn’t want you to read

[Alan_Newport]

Navy ships are far from soundproof - I can’t recommend the danger signal enough. In fact many ships leave their bridge wing doors open specifically for hearing sound signals, save for particularly nasty weather conditions. BTB would be my first choice, as it is monitored both on the bridge and in CIC. “Navy warship you are standing into danger” in a loud voice is going to get a lot of attention.

[ombugge]

In an earlier post I mentioned external mic(s) to enable the OOW to hear sound signal from within a fully enclosed bridge. Here is the ISO standard for such equipment:
https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:14859:ed-1:v1:en

From the above:

1 Scope
This International Standard specifies the functional requirements and recommended installation and performance tests for sound reception systems. Guidelines have been drawn up for the methods and solutions to meet the functional requirements.

The requirements apply to fully enclosed bridges, and other bridges where such equipment is voluntarily installed.

This International Standard specifies bridge requirements that will secure a safe and efficient lookout on those seagoing ships having a fully enclosed bridge.

This International Standard will be for the design of ship bridges. It will also be useful for;

• a) specifiers and procurers of ships and bridge equipment, and

• b) operators and owners for ensuring that changes made through the life of a ship still conform to its requirements.

Such equipment is available from several suppliers, such as Kongsberg:

https://www.km.kongsberg.com/ks/web/nokbg0397…/DataSheet-Sound-reception.pdf

Dutch rules for such equipment:
https://puc.overheid.nl/nsi/doc/PUC_1347_14/2/

[Klaveness]

@Kennebec_Captain

None of those reasons are a sure thing. A collision at sea is a high consequence event. If sounding the danger signal can be done without interfering with other actions it should be done no matter how low the probability it will improve the situation.

This. When things are about to go that wrong, you press all of the buttons. I’m not saying it’s the first or most effective thing to do, but somewhere down your list of many things to try to keep this from happening, there’s the 5+ short.

I actually find sound signals in general to be extremely useful, and can attest to their effectiveness, but that’s starting to stray from the subject at hand. Also, with all that being said, I carry a handsome dent on my port bow from a 26’ motor boat whose driver swore he didn’t hear my (rather loud) horn, so there’s that…

[Kennebec_Captain]

Given the size and speed of ships today has increased while the range of the signal has remained the same the effectiveness of the danger signal is probably less then in days past. But the signal retains it’s status in COLREGS.

As a result the signal’s use / non-use is going to have an outsize legal impact compared to it’s effectiveness. It’s usefulness may only be a vestige of it’s former self but even if it’s a one shot in a thousand it has still has not been rendered worthless.

Inland waters I’ve seen it used to good effect many times. Less so in open sea.

[seasmaster]

OK. Where are the lookouts on this Navy vessel? No bridge wings.

[Tellarian]

Where are the lights?

[ombugge]

Lights?? This ship is so stealthy that they don’t even have them.