Things (well large ships) that go bump in the night

[spider]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2187303/USS-Porter-Mid-sea-drama-tanker-rips-huge-hole-U-S-Navy-ship-late-night-collision.html

Oh Dear...

[Goldie fish]

However, officials said that the crash was not combat related. Radar failure, human error or engine malfunction are all possible explanations for the incident.


The sonar equipment used on the U.S. ship is likely to be far more advanced than that used on the oil tanker, raising the possibility that the oil ship struck the naval boat.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz23PXvSLJM

Unless the tanker had already sunk, I doubt the sonar would have been the cause...

[B Inman]

Another example of bad reporting. Sonar, Radar only words.

[Flintstone]

I fear the reporter is more at home covering crashes between tractors and combine harvesters. However the collision is a nasty business. Nothing in the report gives any indication as to the cause.

[hptmurphy]

Over reported is the term I would use, would like to see a track log of both ships prior to the 'bump'. I reckon the destroyer got off lightly.

A tanker of that size could have cut it in half.

[danno]

Assuming the tanker was on a steady course and fully undercommand then the spotlamp falls on the OOW of the Porter given she took damage to the starboard which suggests she is the give way vessel.
All this stealth can be unhealthy.

[jack nastyface]

Failure to maintain a proper lookout.....

[Tadpole]

Well if a Supertanker can 'sneak' up on them I fancy the Iranian attack boats chances!!

[Laners]

Is this one of those , I am a lighthouse I sujest' YOU 'change course jokes .

[Lorenco]

Failure to maintain a proper lookout.....

You said it all there. I thought these suoer duper US destroyers can spot an incoming missile many miles off. AND they did not see a HUGE Tanker travelling at 20 knots???? FFS. With all of their electronics they seemed to be short of 1 pair of Mk1 eyballs.

[Lorenco]

Is this one of those , I am a lighthouse I sujest' YOU 'change course jokes .

Do you have a link to that You Tube clip. I looked for it but could not find it.?

[sofa]

Do you have a link to that You Tube clip. I looked for it but could not find it.?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePi4dieDS8Y

[Lorenco]

http://www.snopes.com/military/lighthouse.asp

I found a link to the " I am a lighthouse " fables.

Reminds me of the old story of the tender Cill Airne which served the liners who anchored off Roches Point to collect emigrants in the 1950's.

The tender was trying to come alongside the anchored liner which towered over the Cill Airne, in heavy seas. After a number of attempts to come alongside, the liner captain hailed the captain of the Cill Airne in a heavy American accent shouting
"FFS YOU anchor, and I'll come alongside you"

[hptmurphy]

I'd like Flinthouse's analysis

was doing some reading recently, book called 'Salvo' by Bernard Edwards seems a whole Japanese attack force sneaked in around the back of a yank destroyer within yards and attacked a force off Guadalcanal....'due to the amount of USN casualties cause by enemy action and friendly fire , location was name Iron Bottom Sound.

Yanks have never been noted for look outs and over dependence on radar which as we all know with lots of backround clutter caused in proximity to land and buys shipping channels is not a replacement for eye ball mark one.


Merchant shipping especially in the days of cut backs could be as guilty of poor watchkeeping.

I'm with Jack on this one......absence of human interface...some one took their eye off the ball or even the destroyer in this case.

[Flintstone]

There is nothing in the report to indicate what might have happened. Danno's theory of damage to the starboard side is still only a theory based on a photograph which might or might not have been inverted by the editor. It happens.
Bottom line is a serious mess and the spotlight will fall on the warship. However I do not like to jump to any conclusions as to what happened until in possession of all or most of the facts.
There have been too many cases of the press jumping to conclusions and pillorying professional mariners before any investigation has taken place. The Nautical Institute is constantly defending ship masters from such abuse.