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Interesting Speculation On
The USS Fitzgerald Collision


By Richard Allgire, Honolulu
6-18-17

 
Jeff...

Some former sailers and shipdrivers are speculating about the possible causes of the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and the Philippine-flagged container ship ACX Crystal, which happened at 2:30 near Japan. This is speculation, but from people with experience in ship handling.

Based on the course changes of the Crystal, one theory is that the Crystal was in conflict with ANOTHER ship and turned 180 degrees to avoid a close CPA (Closest Point of Approach) with that ship. That turn could have wound up putting the Crystal in the traffic lane with other ships, including the Fitzgerald.  After resolving that close contact issue, she turned abruptly to resume the northerly course, and in executing that turn, hit the Fitzgerald.

It was a crowded area, and the Fitzgerald’s tracking might have held the Crystal’s southerly heading, thinking everything was okay. On that track, Fitzgerald would have overtaken the Crystal.  There were other contacts in the area. The Fitzgerald Officer of The Deck could have been distracted. Before the Officer of The Deck knew it, the Fitzgerald was in extremis with the Crystal.

What the Officer of The Deck did in those moments will not be known until the investigation is concluded.

In the Navy, those in command of ships are taught to act immediately. According to Navy Emergency Shiphandling Course, in extremis you act, giving you a 50% chance of avoiding a collision, when not acting means 100% chance of collision.

The CO was in his rack, asleep, so he was apparently confident his Officer of The Deck could handle the ship in a crowded shipping lane.

Navy veterans say he will lose his command, no matter what. The captain always takes the blame.

The good news out of this- the bravery, professionalism and quick response of the Fitzgerald’s damage control teams. They saved the ship, which was in real jeopardy of sinking.

Now the question is, who will be in control of the investigation.  Check out this link:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/treaty-gives-u-s-not-japan-upper-hand-in-probe-1497785378



TOKYO—Two investigations—one American and one Japanese—are set into the collision between a U.S. destroyer and a container ship, but it isn’t clear whether either will have the authority to unearth all the facts.

Clouding the investigations is a bilateral treaty on the status of American forces in Japan. The treaty gives the U.S. jurisdiction over “offenses arising out of any act or omission done in the performance of official duty” even if the offenses take place on Japanese territory.

That language likely applies to the collision that took place early Saturday off Japan’s Izu Peninsula between the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship chartered by shipping line Nippon Yusen K.K . , said former Japanese military officials. The bodies of seven U.S. service members have been recovered from the Fitzgerald, U.S. officials said.

The accident took place in Japan’s territorial waters, according to the nation’s coast guard, which said it opened an investigation into whether one or both sides were negligent in their duty to avoid dangerous navigation.

Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, said he had also ordered a full investigation into the cause of the collision.

For any investigation, key questions would include whether U.S. sailors were following procedures to detect ships in the neighborhood. If they weren’t, that could be an “omission done in the performance of official duty”—the type of offense over which Japan doesn’t have jurisdiction, according to the treaty.

Vice Adm. Aucoin said the U.S. would “work hand in hand with our Japanese partners” in the investigation. Asked whether the U.S. Navy would make the Fitzgerald’s crew available to Japanese authorities for questioning, Vice Adm. Aucoin didn’t answer directly, saying: “We’re going to cooperate with all the stakeholders in this, especially the Japanese.”

A spokesman for the Japanese coast guard said his side has requested cooperation from the U.S. side and discussions are continuing, but no conclusion has been reached.

“This is an accident that happened during the performance of official duty,” said Kyoji Yanagisawa, a former top official in Japan’s Defense Ministry. “Basically, Japan can’t get involved.”

At the same time, the U.S. Navy doesn’t have the same powers as Japan to get information from the other ship in the collision, the ACX Crystal container ship, which unloaded cargo in Tokyo’s port on Sunday. The Japanese coast guard said it interviewed the container ship’s Filipino crew members and an official of the Japan Transport Safety Board said it was examining the damage on the ship.

The U.S.-Japan treaty, which dates to 1960, includes a clause anticipating a politically sensitive situation. The U.S. should “give sympathetic consideration to a request” for a waiver of its jurisdiction if Japan “considers such waiver to be of particular importance,” the clause says.

Japan might make such a request if its own citizens were harmed, but that wasn’t the case in this collision, Mr. Yanagisawa said.

Yoji Koda, a retired vice admiral in Japan’s navy, said he expected Japanese authorities ultimately wouldn’t be able to interview the U.S. crew members directly.