How does a US Navy ship get hit by another ship?

[1sikbITCH]

Major fuckup. A few naval careers just jut flushed.

Hah little too soon for that one.

 

[kage69]

Old school. Mr. Ryerson, a true gentleman, gave my grandmother his life jacket and made sure she got in one of the very last lifeboats to escape the sinking Titanic. He went down with the ship, a man of integrity to the end. And I am alive today because of his selfless act.

I'm not sure what to say Perk. That is one hell of a heartbreaking story, but one that gave us you. I'm not even a relation and now I want to toast that man. I think it really speaks well of you that you hold onto that and feel the way you do. Thank you for sharing this personal history.

I'm going to tell my sons about it right now. This story will go on.

 

[hal2kilo]

Burkes like the USS Fitzgerald are all steel construction.

The hull has always been steel and after the Belknap's collision with the JFK, in the US at least the superstructure isn't aluminum either. Well, that and the cracking in the aluminum superstructures on Perrys.

We gave up on aluminum superstructures after we saw what happened to the Brits boats with aluminum superstructures during the Falkland war. Also, all new mods or installs require low smoke cabling due to the same thing.
EDIT: You'd be surprised how many collisions occur. Hell, the damn blocker boats for the subs did quite a number on a sub last year. Got a nose job. Thank goodness the was a spare nose left to use.

 

[kage69]

I've never understood why aluminum caught on the way it did for war fighting vehicles. Or maybe a better way of saying it, I've never considered the weight savings being anywhere near worth what you pay for in durability, not to mention the whole 'burning poison' effect molten aluminum has on crew. Scary stuff.

 

[Puffnstuff]

We gave up on aluminum superstructures after we saw what happened to the Brits boats with aluminum superstructures during the Falkland war. Also, all new mods or installs require low smoke cabling due to the same thing.
EDIT: You'd be surprised how many collisions occur. Hell, the damn blocker boats for the subs did quite a number on a sub last year. Got a nose job. Thank goodness the was a spare nose left to use.

And to think that the original Zumwalt deckhouse was a composite material and later finalized using steel. Just imagine what the impact damage would like look if a plastic section were hit by that much mass? What if it were to shatter and drive the pieces into personnel around the impact zone? The composite armor on an Abrams tank does quite well and if the Navy adopted a similar material it could work.

What the Navy needs to do is let Tesla build a ship for them with their autopilot 2 hardware to prevent a collision in the first place.

 

[Pick2]

It was a dark and stormy night. The Air Radar was down. The Surface Radar was down. The Sonar was down. The video feed was down. So We sent two men up to the crow's nest , but apparently , they were going down also.

 

[bigboxes]

All seven missing sailors were found drowned in flooded berthing compartments. Man, that sucks. I can visualize that. I spent four years of my life living on a ship.

 

[JEDI]

Finally, something I can actually answer.

Its dark out at night, on the ocean.
And the running lights can surprisingly not be enough to see another ship. Sounds crazy but its true.

Also, the lookouts on both ships were probably napping or fucking off. I stood lookout. Its boring.
But if I got caught fucking off, I'd get the shit beat out of me.

So obviously, the Navy needs to bring back ass whoopins.

Also, was the weather bad?

what about radar/sensors/alarms?
no point defense Vulcan auto-guns like carriers have?

how big was the cargo ship in relation to the destroyer?

 

[Z15CAM]

Has this to about any Political Greed?

That's My Tax Dollar too:

The Amused Fsck Off and Die Club: Canadian Branch, eh?

You a Sick MFK'r Victorian Gray.

 

[UberNeuman]

All seven missing sailors were found drowned in flooded berthing compartments. Man, that sucks. I can visualize that. I spent four years of my life living on a ship.

Well, hell... not that it matters or offers solace to the families; my condolences to them.

 

[Zorba]

All seven missing sailors were found drowned in flooded berthing compartments. Man, that sucks. I can visualize that. I spent four years of my life living on a ship.

Are the berths below water line? I know on cruise ships there can't be any berths below water line, even for crew.

 

[bigboxes]

Are the berths below water line? I know on cruise ships there can't be any berths below water line, even for crew.

I tried to find the answer, but I wasn't able to find an answer to your question. On my ship, the enlisted personnel (E6 and below) were below deck. E7 and above were on deck level. Officers quarters were above the deck line in the superstructure. Not sure where the water line was (as it varies depending on cargo) and the berthing compartments.

 

[IronWing]

Not sure it would matter for a ship taking on water. What was above might be below.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I tried to find the answer, but I wasn't able to find an answer to your question. On my ship, the enlisted personnel (E6 and below) were below deck. E7 and above were on deck level. Officers quarters were above the deck line in the superstructure. Not sure where the water line was (as it varies depending on cargo) and the berthing compartments.

I can tell you where they are on that class only because I worked on one during a refit. The lower enlisted berths are below the deck against the starboard hull with the female berth directly below it. I'm going to make a guess that they will be the bulk of the casualties on that ship since they are the most susceptible to flooding. The senior NCO's are deck level across from the mess hall amidship and the officers are below the bridge in the superstructure.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

If that were true they should've been lit up like a Christmas tree along with a verifiable SOS broadcast notifying the authorities of their condition. Those two Rolls-Royce gas turbines sit amidship away from the impact area so they were relatively protected from this accident.

The main engines are driven by 4 GE LM2500 gas turbines (2 per shaft). Depending on how hard the side impact the main shaft bearings could be damaged resulting in the shaft being bound up and not able to turn.

 

[Puffnstuff]

The main engines are driven by 4 GE LM2500 gas turbines (2 per shaft). Depending on how hard the side impact the main shaft bearings could be damaged resulting in the shaft being bound up and not able to turn.

Could very well have caused that to happen but until they conduct their investigation all we can do is speculate about the mechanical damage. DD's are still the tin can's of the fleet no matter how nice they try to make them sound. I want to know whether or not they were running an active radar in a shipping lane.

 

[Puffnstuff]

It was a dark and stormy night. The Air Radar was down. The Surface Radar was down. The Sonar was down. The video feed was down. So We sent two men up to the crow's nest , but apparently , they were going down also.

Were they having a gay old time?

 

[Fanatical Meat]

what about radar/sensors/alarms?
no point defense Vulcan auto-guns like carriers have?

how big was the cargo ship in relation to the destroyer?

This picture of the cargo ship I saw looked absolutely massive

 

[Pick2]

"The ACX Crystal's course shows that it performed a rapid U-turn at speed and then turned to head back to Tokyo - at which point it collided with the USS Fitzgerald"
That explains some of this.

 

[Victorian Gray]

Big ship, meet smaller ship. (and sad about the loss of life)

 

[Puffnstuff]

I can't wait to see the repair bill for this one. It's going to take months in dry dock to fix this mess.

 

[Z15CAM]

Why did a cargo ship do the right thing and starboard approaching a resting US Destroyer then turn port and lope then broadside her.

That Destroyer should have been very well aware and lifted the hull outta the way.

Can't fix the Fitzgerald she's got a broken spin.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Why did a cargo ship do the right thing and starboard approaching a resting US Destroyer then turn port and lope then broadside her.

That Destroyer should have been very well aware and lifted the hull outta the way.

Can't fix the Shiefield she's got a broken spin.

Most likely theory is the cargo ship was on auto pilot

 

[Z15CAM]

Did the Crystal realize they missed the harbor after dodging a still destroyer and turned around to deliver their manifest and hit the Sheffield by accident or was the Fitzgerald still in the water and decided to loop d loops around the Crystal?

Anyway: No Destroyer whether they are American, UK, Russian, Canadian or Auzzie ...etc could be broadsided.

 

[Zorba]

Not sure it would matter for a ship taking on water. What was above might be below.

I guess with how small these ships are, that may be true. I was thinking it probably hadn't taken on enough water to dramatically lower the ship. But I'm used to cruise ships where the lowest deck above WL is still ~5-8 feet above WL, and there are four decks between WL and the top of the hull.