US Destroyer USS Fitzgerald

[bacpacker]

Just ran across this and thought I would post up a link.

https://bluelivesmatter.blue/video-uss-fitzgerald-collision/#



Yokosuka, Japan – U.S. Navy Destroyer USS Fitzgerald is missing seven crew members and is taking on water after a collision with a Philippines container ship off of Yokosuka at around 2:30 AM local time on Saturday.

According to CBS News, the Fitzgerald is not under its own power and Japan is sending out tugs to retrieve the destroyer.

Japanese media is reporting that seven crew members are unaccounted for and at least one person was airlifted with injuries.

There is a little more at the link. Not sure how long ago this happened, but it sounds like it's not been long.

[Fidel MD]

Well, there goes some Captains career.

[bacpacker]

Sounds like the containership hit the Fitzgerald. And yes there career is toast regardless of fault.

[Fidel MD]

Sounds like the containership hit the Fitzgerald. And yes there career is toast regardless of fault.


If it were his fault, he'd be Courts-martialed for 'hazarding his vessel'. otherwise he'll be reassigned to a non-command position pending his retirement. By the end of the year.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Let me throw this one back at you guys. Check this website out, click on track, zoom out, and follow the track and you'll see the course changes for the "intentional" collision of the two vessels. It sure the fuck was human error, but if these news dip shits had any smarts this stuff is public access and you can track ships and most cargo if you're a good pirate. Drink up Re-tardies yo-ho............The ACX Crystal hauled out to port on basically a reciprocal course to intercept the Fitz. This happens off of Shimoda peninsula and Toshima Island. Don't try tracking a Navy ship, it ain't happening, need to know thing and all. No shots were fired because it was a container ship. CO got injured cause I'll bet his ass was yelling orders from the bridge wing. Really hard to speculate how it went down, other than someone telling a big ass ship to alter course and it ain't. If I had the Fitz's track I'm sure it would all come to light, case closed. Bottom line, container ships, DO NOT change track/course, that costs the company money. Somebody falls overboard, they don't turn around man. They can't recover, all they can do is throw a life ring and call it in. No bull shit.

Sooooooooooo, thar be me roll of eights, lads. Shall we go board and seize? I say take no prisoners, the sea is ours, they've already blown up my last ship. This is an act of high seas piracy and terrorism and somebody ain't sayin shit.

http://www.vesseltracking.net/ship/acx-crystal-9360611

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

It sure the hell was human....... error............ yeah, they didn't "T-Bone" like they wanted to. Just a glancing blow. The CO might be given credit for saving the ship for his ship handling skills in his boxer shorts for all we know. The ACX Crystal made multiple course changes in order to make this event happen. The news ain't saying shit, nothing but bill cosby bull shit, who cares, we have a country to worry about. It doesn't stop for a washed up loser like cosby. I'll leave that one alone, carry on.

By the way if you don't check the site out now it might disappear before to long for all we know. "conspiracy theory"

[bacpacker]

I assume you are talking about the position just southeast of Shimoda? Container ships don't do that without a very good reason.

[Kesephist]

It sure the hell was human....... error............ yeah, they didn't "T-Bone" like they wanted to. Just a glancing blow. The CO might be given credit for saving the ship for his ship handling skills in his boxer shorts for all we know. The ACX Crystal made multiple course changes in order to make this event happen. The news ain't saying shit, nothing but bill cosby bull shit, who cares, we have a country to worry about. It doesn't stop for a washed up loser like cosby. I'll leave that one alone, carry on.

By the way if you don't check the site out now it might disappear before to long for all we know. "conspiracy theory"

Chief, there better be a sight more that strong letters from this. If the CO got injured, damned well he was out there yelling orders, you know it and I know it. I don't know how fast ACX Crystal can go and I don't know how fast a Burke-Class destroyer can can go, or how fast it can get to fastest. If ACX's course changes were figured out by the folks on Fitz to be a deliberate collision course, I can only expect that the Fitz tried to floor it and get out of Dodge, just a little too late.

There BETTER be something up on this and damn fast and damn hard, if for no other and better reason than seven families bereft of their sailors. Dunno who SECNAV is, but I'd bet good hard cash money once Mattits heard about it. he wanted answers within the hour or less.

In these days of radio, radar, GPS, and even good old Mark 1 mod 0 eyeballs behind a set of whatever USN is using for watch binoculars, this crap does not happen by accident. The only possibilities that pop to mind was a inside job of T's that knew enough of shiphandling and overpowered the crew (if not the crew themselves... nauseating) or a fast boat of T's that stormed the vessel, did the crew, and bailed after the job was done. And I will not now or ever believe that the Fitz watch crew summarily fell asleep all at once. Not happening...

This is where No Such Agency would actually be useful... I have to think that there was at least an attempt by Fitz to ship to ship communicate. "Hey Rube!"

WHere is ACX Crystal right about now, anyway? And is the Philippine equivalent of an Admiralty court or its civvy version being convene to find out WTF, over?

YES, I am taking the USN side of this... I am former Army, those are my fellow military that were put in harm's way. Hearing from some damned dove frufru apologist/closet antimilitary twerp right about now ... no.

If it was T's, hand em over to the Fitz and let them keelhaul the bastards, or hang them from their yards till they rot.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Glad to hear we got some closure, they found the sailors on board. poor SOBs were drowned in the compartment, I know they were fighting their asses off to save that compartment from flooding. Brave souls............RIP.

Big brother (Him Chief too, Fire Dept. Ret.)just let me know his friends son is on the Fitz and that his Chief posted on Face Book that he was present and accounted for. So far so good.

OK people (not directed at anyone specific it only meant for those that are link instruction blind, refuse follow instructions, speak out of turn with out knowing shit, etc.) Did you happen to go to the link I sent? Did you push the button on the little ship that said "track"?......... If you did, you'll see there was a line that dropped there when you did it, along that line there were little arrows, each one of those little arrows along the track if you click on them will give you a course, speed and date and time. If that incident happened at 0230 local, as they say, Japan is +9 UTC, that would make it 1730 UTC time. Find the ships position at time 1730 UTC, "speculate" from there is all I can do. So I followed it and you will see that the Crystal had already turned around and was around the point of their original course change. That loop was approx. 20 miles. (check scale at bottom of screen) The Fitz was hit on her STBD side the Crystal was hit on her Port Bow. It's almost a T-bone, every Naval Officer is trained to turn to STBD in the event of a meeting situation. (ship to ship) collision. It doesn't add up if they claim it was the reason for the very first course change on their (Crystal) track at time 1630 one hour before. Again, I can only speculate without having the Fitz's track. I'm just going off my experience in ship handling and having to be grilled by Naval Officers. I've "driven" Piloted whatever you want to call it ships throughout the world and I was always on the bridge. Sure would like to hear what happened from one of the "enlisted" bridge watch standers. There you will get the real story. Preferably the Helmsman, and Boatswainsmate of the Watch, he would be in charge/take charge of ALL the enlisted bridge watch standers. Yup, a six pack a suds and a one on one and I'll have the real story.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

OK, some one's covering it now. I'm just a little quicker than others........................

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40317341

[helomech]

My great uncle was killed in a ship during WW2 that was hit by a mine. He was stuck in the flooded compartment for a very long time till they got to dry dock.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Can't thank it, can't like it, all I can do is RESPECT your post, they don't have a "Clickie" for that one yet brother. It's guys like him that made it easier to put up with the bullshit when I was in. You think about that and you get your ass in gear, respect for the dead is a motivator. RIP.......

Grandpa was a Dieselman and his brother was a Stoker in WWII, they both made it home from the Pacific. Grandpa was the Chief of Police in Kallispell, Montana after that, name was "Moose"........track that one down. There was another brother he went Army, you know......back then, they all joined up, 16 and 17yr olds, fighting for their country. Now they just protest their country. I am truly proud of those that "truly" serve our country in ALL services. So others may live.

[bacpacker]

Sorry for your loss Helo. Much respect to your uncle.
That contains er ship was planning on that. The crew needs a big time interegation. Someone planned that shit.

[ak474u]

The Philippines is a new target for isis militants. I'm not surprised.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

You can start here and then brush up on your Tagalog. Now you can go into the Filipino muslim isis theory........or you can go strictly one sided and say judging by the facts so far, I see Fitz is hit on the STBD side Crystals hit on the Port. "International Rules of the road" state that is you see their port side/port running light that makes you the "give way" vessel. You see green then you continue on. But always YOU are responsible for your actions. Again, with all the back up navigation between two surface watch teams, bridge and CIC, combat information center, WTF happened? Did they actually hit at 1630 UTC or 1730? I'm hearing it wasn't reported now by the Crystal until an hour after the collision. She was on a course of 070 at 18.5kts at 1630 UTC she made a course change to STBD to 118 and slowed to 14.5kts. from there it took her an hour to make that loop back to that position. Sooooooo, what?

I can hear on the bridge of the Crystal now, "Hey, you hear dat? Wy you pucken turn, get back on cors bitch. Hokay, but I dink we pucken hit sompin. Hmmmmmmmm? Trun bac roun maybe we look. Ooooohh shit, we need to get da puck odda he." And it kinda looks like that to from one side.

Then I could go from my Navy side/experience and really screw this up. The Fitz and the Crystal are on intercepting courses, known as a meeting situation. The OOD/Officer of the Deck (guy who's in charge of the whole ship's navigation weps and engineering while the CO is sleeping/absent from the bridge/etc) is aware of the crystal and assumes there is going to be a port to port passage. The figures don't match up for where the crytal's going to be at it's closest point when they pass at Fitz's current course and speed. CIC watch officer and team disagrees with the OOD says their figures say they will have plenty of room to meet/pass each other on their port side. As the argument ensues the figures are recalculated. During which time the two vessels are getting closer. Lets add all the multiple bullshit "maritime" traffic of this area to add the pressure, and it's dark out. By the time they think have it resolved the OOD takes action putting both ships in extremis. Being the great ship handler that he is, he made the wrong decision. If the CO was in his cabin he was never woken up and alerted to the meeting situation. The CO has a set of "Standing Night Orders" that are reviewed and signed at EVERY watch turnover. IN those standing orders are "when the CO needs to be awaken, there's a list" I can guarantee that one of those top two will be "When a contact CPA's (closest point of approach) with __ miles." I'm pretty sure the CRYSTAL qualified on that list. Yes, the CO had only been there a month, but I don't think he was that stupid. But I do know some officers who think they are that smart. Now if it's the OOD's fault he needs to be courts martial-ed and and thrown in Leavenworth for killing those sailors due to his negligence..............and I'm going to stop now before I go to far. I just have too many memories of how I can see this all going down on a bridge. Thank GOD for enlisted men.............

Principal Particulars for ACX Crystal

Gross Tonnage (G/T): 29,093 tons
Length Overall: 222.60 meters
Flag: Republic of the Philippines
Built: 2008
Captain: Ronald Advincula
Crew: 20 seafarers (All Filipino)
Ship Charterer: NYK Line
Shipowner: DAINICHI-INVEST CORPORATION


This thing is just a mess until we see more facts. I'll keep diggin till I find more. I can't pass judgement, that's not my job, you'll have to look up for that.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Now here's one of the more accurate depictions of the ship's track, it's also showing the other merchant traffic. Keep in mind this only shows shipping traffic that is transmitting. You folks should enjoy this one...............

http://maritime-executive.com/article/confusion-over-circumstances-of-destroyer-collision

[Fidel MD]

OK, after watching that, WTF were they (the ACX) doing? Set the autopilot and went for a dump with nobody on the bridge?

And I'd say that the harbor there needs VTS and traffic lanes...

[helomech]

OK, after watching that, WTF were they (the ACX) doing? Set the autopilot and went for a dump with nobody on the bridge?

And I'd say that the harbor there needs VTS and traffic lanes...

Funny you say that. The exact thing happened to the platform I worked on for 3 years. The captain set the GPS to go to our platform went down to take a crap, and ran into the platform before he got done. Scared the shit out of lots of people.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Hey.......there's supposed to be a "qualified" person in there (bridge) 24hrs if this things underway. Especially in this area, (traffic)but what are the standing orders of the company and the ship's master on this vessel? Maybe things have changed since my day but I highly doubt it. The practice of good seamanship............ok let's just say it depends on the geo position. Things go very "respectful" of each other here around the CONUS. But yeah you start getting out there and they just don't come up on bridge to bridge radio or you just get the fuck out of their way all together and adjust your track a few miles for the heavy weights.

Basic underway watch team for a Navy ship:
Officer of the Deck
Junior Officer of the Deck
Boatswainsmate of the Watch
Quatermaster of the watch/ maybe even a junior I'm sure.
HELMSMAN
LEE HELMSMAN
MESSENGER Of the Watch
Port look out
Stbd Look out
Aft look out

Mind you this just a basic strip down, you also have another watch team full of air and surface search radar equip called CIC that has another full watch team that monitors and compares navigation on a continual basis with the bridge watch team. SO with all these people..................has anyone seen anything whether the Fitz was leaving port, returning, that kind of thing, because I haven't seen that slip yet.

Hey............. would you believe that the international language on maritime radio is English? Hey, at least we still got that one.........WORLD WIDE.

Either way when this all ends, you the capt. are responsible for your vessel. Man I really would love to share a 12 pk and a bottle of Stoli's with the BMOW who was on the the mid shitter.

- - - Updated - - -


Funny you say that. The exact thing happened to the platform I worked on for 3 years. The captain set the GPS to go to our platform went down to take a crap, and ran into the platform before he got done. Scared the shit out of lots of people.

I mean.....really? Could you be so stupid or could you just SLOW DOWN, leave it on auto............ahhhh, skip it, it's still a "no shitter!"

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Here's an update, and from what snippets I'm reading it don't sound good.............but it's starting to sound a lot like, deja vu (one of my comments from before). But here's how it "should" play out. Who's at fault: Officer of the Deck, CIC Watch Officer, (two most senior on watch. XO, CO, (Xo was "senior" on the command) and CO only been on board a month....well, he "was" the CO. But then again he might survive because the other two Bozos did not follow standing orders. Eh, who knows, see how it plays out.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/national/initial-findings-blame-navy-for-uss-fitzgerald-collision

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/21/politics/fitzgerald-initial-investigation-blames-navy/index.html

[Kesephist]

Dammit dammit dammit....

If those seven kids died 'cause some officer or officers couldn't pull their head out, that officer or officers oughta be cooling heels in Portsmouth, pending trial for seven negligent homicides at bare minimum.

All seven of those sailors should be getting considered for the Navy and Marine Medal (posthumous), as it seems likely to a simple landlubber such as I that if they hadn't secured those inboard hatches, Fitz could have foundered or sank. Not being in combat, the Navy Cross regretfully doesn't apply... on paper.

Chief, there is something wrong on this whole thing. Too many things had to go wrong for this to happen, sheer knuckleheadedness doesn't stretch far enough. There had to be someone computing course/speed solutions who shoulda shouted out "Engines Full, hard to port" or whatever would have been needful to command to take a hard left away from the pending collision.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Well, that's exactly my point. I'm not a braggart, but I spent most of my (at sea) career on the bridge of a ship. I earned my qual as an OOD back when I had..... oh 11 yrs in. Prior to that I was a Lee Helmsman, Helmsman, Master Helmsman, BMOW, Navigator, JOOD, CIC Watch Officer and EOOW (Engineering Officer of the Watch) all those steps to the OOD. BUT, I have more "experience" as a ship handler and bridge watch stander to know the "Rules of the Road" and as to how this could have happened. I know through my "experience" with the Surface Warfare Officer community that they only spend enough time on a command to get their quals and get off. That by having their SWO pin (Surface Warfare Officer) they know everything and are not to be challenged. I know that these SWOs have little to no ship handling experience and arrogance takes precedence when it comes to the OOD. (Standard sea shore rotation for a junior enlisted person is 5 sea/2 shore, Officers are 2 and 2) So it's beginning to sound to be that there was some major comms issues between the watchstanders and someone was "overruled" by the time the OOD realized his indecision put the ship in extremis his course of action was too late. I still take into consideration of the "high traffic" mentioned in the area. However to ME I don't see it as high traffic in MY opinion based on MY experience. I reviewed many maritime sites to try and get as many perspectives as I could on this.

Did I mention that I have a sore spot for Naval Officers? The last four at sea commands that I was on "I" trained junior officers how to be a shiphandler and an OOD, how to build weapons before I let them shoot them, how to build "mission packages" without out blowing themselves up..............back to the bridge. First they had to learn how to drive like an enlisted man before you could tell one "how" to drive. I had that luxury because I actually had a few good COs, that didn't know how to drive the ships either. Sometimes knowledge is power................make sure you wear sunglasses though cause their golden SWO pin is likely to blind you.

Yeah, that's what "Chiefs" do. Or that's what we used to do...................what's that? Fuck me? Oh I was just reminded that there are some serious ass kickers still out there that just kicked me in the balls:o and said they were CHIEFS! Tuff crowd....there's a few good ones still left! Hoo-Yah!

Still would like to see the track on the Fitz...............

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Here's another article on the Fitz, written by a former Naval Officer he gives HIS plausible scenarios. Funny........I didn't see mine in there anywhere. Still no word yet on what really happened, but I disagree with his "scenarios" so far it doesn't make sense in my "enlisted" mind.

http://maritime-executive.com/editorials/a-possible-scenario-for-the-uss-fitzgerald-collision

[bacpacker]

Thanks for keeping your ear to the ground on this BWRR.

[Kesephist]

Here's another article on the Fitz, written by a former Naval Officer he gives HIS plausible scenarios. Funny........I didn't see mine in there anywhere. Still no word yet on what really happened, but I disagree with his "scenarios" so far it doesn't make sense in my "enlisted" mind.

http://maritime-executive.com/editorials/a-possible-scenario-for-the-uss-fitzgerald-collision

The Canoe U. grads are going to do their damnedest to pin as much of this on the EM's, and as little on the officers as possible... hardly a surprise.

This bozo was right about one thing... the small fighting ships are looking at being pounded by the brass into do-it-all ships, but without the training or materials or people to do it with. Sort of thing you could get away with if you had a Nimitz-sized hull and materials, without the ongoing flight ops.

I'm hearing tell, now, Chief, that the Old Man was banged up because he was in his quarters at the time of the collision and his quarters was part of the damage, and him with it.

K

[Stg1swret]

CO,XO, and CMC have been relieved of duties today. Looks like this was a ship with big problems. That is the entire upper Chain of Command. The Board of Inquiry, and most likely subsequent Courts Martial will be very telling.

[bacpacker]

Stg, I hadn't heard this news before now! went and looked this up and found this short article.



http://www.mycentraloregon.com/2017/08/17/navy-to-relieve-uss-fitzgerald-leadership-for-mistakes-that-led-to-deadly-collision/

My Central Oregon.com

Navy to relieve USS Fitzgerald leadership for mistakes that led to deadly collision

The U.S. Navy will relieve the USS Fitzgerald’s commanding officer, executive officer and senior enlisted sailor for mistakes that lead to a deadly crash with a merchant ship in June.

Seven U.S. sailors lost their lives when the Navy destroyer collided with a Philippine container ship in the middle of the night off the coast of Japan.

The Navy announced Thursday that they intended to relieve the ship’s leadership after it was determined the Navy had lost trust and confidence in their ability to lead in those positions.

They are among a dozen of the ship’s crew who could face administrative action for their role in the collision. The Navy’s investigation into the collision continues.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

[Stg1swret]

It will be a most interesting investigation. Hazarding a Vessel would be the formal charge for the CO (commanding Officer), that coupled with the loss of life, does not bode well. The fact that the XO (Executive Officer) , and the CMC ( Command Master Chief) have also been relieved, means there were big leadership issues onboard. I've seen, and been on a ship that had a CO relieved for cause, but never have I seen the entire upper command relieved.
Hazarding a Vessel is a very serious charge and the loss of life compounds the severity. The Fitzgerald will most likely be ordered back to homeport, major elements of the crew reassigned, and then sent to refresher training before being able to deploy again.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Heard the news on the radio yesterday, plucked this article this morning seems to be the only one with any depth to it. ALSO it looks like they have already hammered a bunch of enlisted watch standers already with NJP, I'd still love to talk with BMOW. Like I said before it sounded like a FUBAR watch team but there's something that hasn't been told yet. Someone's actions or inaction is still overall responsible, NOT THE WHOLE WATCH TEAM! Still, ain't you ever heard of "ALL STOP" ..............I'd have loved to have been a dust bunny in the overhead of that bridge just to get the whole picture.

I'll be getting a data dump soon I hope.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/17/politics/uss-fitzgerald-leadership-removed/index.html

[Stg1swret]

Massive failure. Bridge team and CIC. Failure to follow standing orders is probably also involved. Captain's Night Orders. Sounds like it was a total "Cluster Fuck". Having served on destroyers for most of my naval career, there is a lot gone wrong here. Also wonder what the lookouts were doing. I'm sure that many did there job, but the wrong people didn't. CO was still asleep in his at sea cabin, why not wake him and notify of close approach as is the usual procedure. CIC should have and probably did notify bridge as did the wing lookouts. QM would have been able to establish base course of both ships and recommend course changes and speed changes. When it became obvious that the ships would physically meet, GQ, rig for collision, and "ALL STOP", followed by "All Back Full", could of and should have been ordered. This is after all a gas turbine powered ship, not and older stem boiler powered ship.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

I've ran it through my head a million.......OK a hundred times. You had to have totally lost control of the situation in order for this to have happened................OR THE BRIDGE/CIC WATCH TEAM WASN'T QUALIFIED "IN ACCORDANCE WITH? " To add to the nausea.
I just don't see how it could have fell apart like that. Yeah I know they can do an emergency crash back even with a "birdfarm" all part of that INSERV insp. shake rattle and roll.

OK, enough, we know it's human error, I just want to know who (title of watchstander) and why. THE REAL STORY..........ok go fix the grout and then re-caulk tub.

[Stg1swret]

The testimony of the bridge team , and of the CIC watch team will be most telling. Seeing you are on a closing course with another vessel, the natural reaction is to increase the distance of closest approach, not to close on the vessel and do nothing.

I too have been re-running this over and over in my head. Makes no sense. Will have to wait for the results of the Board of Inquiry.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

My point exactly, just can't see it happening on "my watch" so I just have to sit here with my thumb up my ass and wait for word from within the ranks. Just like the small boat incident, damn officer's are always screwin something up, hey we're (enlisted) not totally innocent, but when you are supposed to be "in charge" DO IT! The only thing I've as of late is a bunch of Kerrys and McCains, couldn't lead their way out of chow line without getting food on themselves. Just being polite............POS's it's obvious leadership is in the bilge and needs to be pumped up to the countermeasure washdown system and give the Navy a Douche!

[Stg1swret]

We can thank the previous admin for some of this. Sequestration cut an awful lot of funds that in turn cut down on training, and the operations tempo. We are seeing that now with all the recent aviation incidents. Train like you fight, and fight like you train, but when you don't train, you lose your fighting edge. Ship handling is as much an art , as science. If you don't practice you lose that edge. My guy's use to complain abit about getting back into port after deployments, only to find out I scheduled schools for them, until the next tme we went out, and they got to put that schooling to the test.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Remember "bumper drills?" As a deck ape, I sure as hell did, then I got Master Helmsman qualed, Oh yeah. :cool:

[Stg1swret]

Sure do. My last two commands, I was in charge of the fantail line handlers. As you well know, those lines get under a lot of stress when mooring a ship. More than once had to order onlookers to clear the fantail when we were mooring. Single screw ships, which were my last two sea commands, use the capstan alot to snug/tighten lines. Officers didn't take to kindly to being ordered out of the area by an enlisted man. Was always glad to see the XO overseeing the area.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Like I said before...........here's an update on the incident. Now they finally come down to those "individuals" who were directly responsible.......From Military.com

WASHINGTON -- The officer of the deck for the USS Fitzgerald when it collided with a commercial vessel pleaded guilty Tuesday in a special court-martial proceeding.

Lt. j.g. Sarah Coppock's job was to ensure safe navigation of the USS Fitzgerald. On June 17, 2017, she was "derelict in the performance of those duties," resulting in the deaths of seven sailors, according to the single charge she faced Tuesday.

The Fitzgerald's commanding officer, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was not on deck at the time of the collision. It fell to Coppock to navigate through the heavily trafficked waters off the coast of Japan. She was charged for failing to "communicate and coordinate with the Combat Information Center, report ship specified contacts to the commanding officer, operate safely in a high density traffic condition and alert crew of imminent collision."

As of press time, the court-martial at the Navy Yard in Washington had not ended. Sentencing details were not available.

Coppock was charged along with two unnamed junior officers on board the Fitzgerald.

Those sailors, a tactical action officer and a surface warfare coordinator whose jobs focused on overseeing the gathering and communicating of vital information to the bridge, each face three charges: dereliction in the performance of duties through neglect resulting in death, negligent hazarding of a vessel and negligent homicide. They face a joint Article 32 hearing Wednesday to see whether they will face court-martial.

The tactical information officer is accused of failing in her job to "communicate with the bridge vital contact information and safe speed and maneuvering recommendations, enforce watch-standing principles in the combat information center and support the officer of the deck."

The surface warfare officer is charged with "effectively failing in his duties to supervise those on watch in the USS Fitzgerald Combat Information Center," which monitors the operations of the ships and maintains contact with the bridge and the tactical action officer.

Both lieutenants are charged with negligent homicide for causing the deaths of the seven seamen in their flooded berthing section by "negligently failing to comply with the USS Fitzgerald commanding officer's standing orders" and to effectively ensure the sailors under their oversight carried out their jobs – watch-standing for the tactical information officer. For the surface warfare officer, the job was "to maintain surface contact situational awareness; provide operational recommendations to the tactical action officer and the bridge, ensure proper watch-standing practices were carried out; and properly stand his assigned station."

The Fitzgerald was navigating out to sea near Yokosuka Port in Japan when it failed to recognize the dangers of three ships heading across its path.

They were close enough to present risk of collision, according to a U.S. Navy report. Two of the ships maneuvered to avoid a collision -- one coming particularly close. The report said Coppock was responsible to alert the commanding officer after that close call. The third, called the ACX Crystal, did not.

Tuesday's court-martial proceeding is the first of several in the coming weeks that will put five officers on the stand for two Japan-based ship collisions in the summer of 2017.

Two months after the deadly Fitzgerald incident, the USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker near the Singapore Straits on Aug. 21. Ten McCain sailors were killed.

The collisions were separate, but both involved Japan-based Navy destroyers; the Navy found that both involved poor seamanship and were the result of compounded errors in which crews lost situational awareness.

Benson is slated for an Article 32 preliminary hearing May 21. He faces charges that include negligent homicide, hazarding a ship and dereliction of duty.

A date has not been finalized for an Article 32 for the relieved commanding officer of the McCain, Cmdr. Alfredo Sanchez, who is facing similar charges.

Navy reports found that both collisions were "avoidable," caused by poor seamanship and compounded errors. The Navy has acknowledged that its forward-deployed 7th Fleet in Japan was stretched too thin – undermanned, overworked and exhausted under an intense operational schedule. To meet the high operational demand, training and ship maintenance were deferred, according to a Navy review.

Eighteen sailors faced nonjudicial punishment -- 10 on the Fitzgerald and eight on the McCain. That includes the executive officers of both ships and the command master chief of the Fitzgerald, who were found guilty of dereliction in the performance of duties. Each received a letter of punitive reprimand.

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, who commanded the 7th Fleet, and the two top leaders below him were fired, while the Pacific Fleet commander and the commander of Naval Surface Forces in San Diego retired early -- the most senior naval officers to step down in the wake of the tragedies.

[Kesephist]

Late to the dance here...

Will these events finally convince the brass that substituting sensitivity training for seamanship training is a clusterfuck, and now proven to be a DEADLY clusterfuck? And that the "doing more with less" doctrine, that was generated by a fat poltroon that "loathed the military", DOES NOT WORK?

Kesephist