SEOUL — Ten U.S. Navy sailors were missing and five were injured after the USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker more than three times its size collided near Singapore early Monday.
American and Singaporean ships and helicopters launched a search-and-rescue mission after the pre-dawn collision at the entrance to one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
This was the second time in two months that a Navy destroyer based at the 7th Fleet’s home port of Yokosuka, Japan, has been involved in a collision at sea. Seven sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship south of Japan in June.
The McCain, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer equipped with an Aegis system, had been on its way to a routine port visit in Singapore after patrolling in the South China Sea. Shipping data showed that the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Alnic MC was also on its way to Singapore when the ships collided east of the Strait of Malacca at 5:24 a.m. local time, while it was still dark.
The 550-mile-long strait runs between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes but is well traversed and governed, analysts say.
Someone suggested that maybe another country is using something that slightly disrupts the radar. That would make some sense as some of these seem to be happening during dusk/dawn when visibility is poor/non-existant. God help them if the US finds that this is true.
"Five sailors injured, 10 missing after U.S. Navy destroyer collides with a merchant ship"...........hardly. Ran into by a merchant ship is much more accurate.
1. Impact occurred on the aft end of the DDG, adjacent to the helo hangar. Any ship overtaking another from astern is obligated to give way. 2. Impact was on port side. Any ship coming from port has to give way.
I understand the rules of the sea, but I still can't understand where one of our war ships with all of its detection system. Radar, sonar and who knows what else can't figure out someone is on a collision course with them. And then do something to avoid a collision. Being in the right and not avoiding the collision does not make any sense.
And just like the Fitzgerald, the strike was into a berthing area. So maybe some of the missing will be found below decks trapped in berthing. Not a good image to see our warships with holes in their side.
Someone suggested that maybe another country is using something that slightly disrupts the radar. That would make some sense as some of these seem to be happening during dusk/dawn when visibility is poor/non-existant. God help them if the US finds that this is true.
I'd not rule out them using the ship as a way to attack, just like an airplane.. The 1st one, ok mistakes happen.. but 4 in 8 months, 2 in 2 months.. Sorry.. not buying the story we are being fed.. After the one a month ago, you'd think every ship would have people using their eyes and a scope.. on top of the radar/etc.. More to this than the milt. is letting out. But they want to make sure before firing at it.. I think the next ship that gets close will go boom..
With our navy proving to be seagoing Keystone Kops, no one needs any weapons to attack us with. Just let them all run into other ships all over the place and theyll take themselves out. Apparently my Tesla radar system is better than whats on a 100 million dollar navy ship. I havent run into anything yet.
Ya know, I'm getting a little skeptical of all of these accidents.
All in the same area, an area claimed by China but we are exercising "Freedom of the Navigation" or what ever they call it.
Somehow reminds me of the game of Chicken. I don't except that we didn't see them. I suspect there's more going on than we're being told.
------------------ Ron
Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun.... Open your frigg'n minds, think about all the other tools that can be made into WMDs.
I sincerely hope that life is never discovered on another planet because, sure as hell Progressives and Socialists will want to send them money.
By Edmund DeMarche Published August 22, 2017 Fox News
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Navy's top officer orders fleetwide probe into collision
A top U.S. Navy admiral on Monday called for a swift and thorough investigation into Monday's collision of the USS John S. McCain into an oil tanker near Singapore -- marking the second deadly mishap that occurred in the Pacific in the past three months.
"Some remains" of the sailors who were declared missing after the collision were found in a sealed compartment aboard the destroyer on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Malaysian officials said they found one body, but were still in the process of identifying it.
Adm. John Richardson ordered an operational pause in all the fleets around the world while the Navy works to determine the factors behind the collision. Richardson tweeted that the Navy will conduct a wide investigation, including a review into the possibility of "cyber intrusion or sabotage," -- though a Navy official told Fox News on Tuesday any possible cyber sabotage played "no role" in the USS John S. McCain incident.
Richardson made clear that there is no evidence of a hacking at this point, but some cyber experts have raised to possiblity given the location of the warships.
Jeff Stutzman, an ex-information warfare specialist in the Navy who works at a cyber threat intelligence company, told McClatchy that “there’s something more than just human error going on."
"Adm. John Richardson ordered an operational pause in all the fleets around the world while the Navy works to determine the factors behind the collision."
As a submariner myself. These types of accidents are not the same. A submarine does not have a whole lot of indication of surface ships if they are sitting still and not making noise. All you really have with a submarine is your sonar to determine what is above and submarines do not go active on their sonar, because it gives away their position. So once in a while you will have a submarine surface into a surface ship.
For a surface war ship in a busy traffic area you have visual, radar and some sonar capabilities. You have to screw up pretty badly to get hit from behind without knowing it was coming. And if you knew it was coming there would/should be a warning alarm sounded and collision immanent broadcast. That would wake everyone up and the compartments dogged down. No one should have been taken unawares on the surface warship. It is beyond belief that this can happen twice in two months to US warships. It is either an indication of very lax manning of their stations or there is something else going on we are not being told.
Originally posted by MadMark: It is beyond belief that this can happen twice in two months to US warships. It is either an indication of very lax manning of their stations or there is something else going on we are not being told.
I'm thinking it's the "who will blink first" scenario........................................
Even though we're talking about ships of war (our side), there's much to be said for mass and mass will always win in a non-combative situation.
------------------ Ron
Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun.... Open your frigg'n minds, think about all the other tools that can be made into WMDs.
I sincerely hope that life is never discovered on another planet because, sure as hell Progressives and Socialists will want to send them money.
YOKOSUKA, Japan - The commanding officer, Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, and executive officer, Cmdr. Jessie L. Sanchez, of the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) were relieved of their duties by Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, Commander, Seventh Fleet, on Oct. 11. Both were relieved due to a loss of confidence.
John S. McCain was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC Aug. 21 that claimed the lives of 10 Sailors, injured five more, and damaged both ships.
