10 sailors missing after Navy destroyer John S. McCain collides with merchant vessel

Source: Navy Times
Published: Aug 20, 2017
Author: Geoff Ziezulewicz and David B. Larter
Post Date: 2017-08-20 23:13:07 by nolu chan
Views: 10239

10 sailors missing after Navy destroyer John S. McCain collides with merchant vessel

By: Geoff Ziezulewicz and David B. Larter
Navy Times
20 Aug 2017

Ten sailors were missing early Monday after the destroyer John S. McCain collided with a merchant vessel in the South China Sea, 7th Fleet officials said.

It was the second major collision involving a U.S. Navy warship in the Pacific region in recent months, following one on June 17 involving the destroyer Fitzgerald off the coast of Japan, in which seven sailors died.

Details on the collision Monday remain sparse, but Navy officials said in a statement that “search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities.”

The Navy issued a statement saying 10 sailors were missing and five sailors suffered minor injuries.

The McCain’s sailors are fighting flooding in two crew berthings and in shaft alley, which is a space aft of the main engineering spaces where shafts that rotate the ship’s propellers run through.

The collision with the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Alnic MC happened while the U.S. ship was underway east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca at 6:24 a.m. local time, according to Navy officials.

Unlike the collision between the destroyer Fitzgerald and the ACX Crystal off Japan in June, most of the crew would be up and moving around at that time.

The Alnic MC is a 600-foot oil and chemical tanker with a gross tonnage of 30,000, according to a Navy release. The tanker is about three times the size of the McCain.

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#1: nolu chan    To: All (#0)

The Alnic MC is a 600-foot oil and chemical tanker with a gross tonnage of 30,000, according to a Navy release. The tanker is about three times the size of the McCain.

Again? What the hell was the Navy destroyer doing?? Even when you have the right of way, yield to a tanker. They can get out of the way approximately as well as Titanic got out of the way of an iceberg.

nolu chan posted on 2017-08-20 23:22:51   Reply   Private Reply

#2: Tooconservative    To: nolu chan (#0)

Two major collisions in less than 2 months is not good.

The one in July was in a pretty high traffic sea lane.

So is this collision.

"The strait is the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, linking major Asian economies such as India, China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Over 94,000 vessels[3] pass through the strait each year (2008) making it the busiest strait in world,[4] carrying about 25% of the world's traded goods, including oil, Chinese manufactured products, and Indonesian coffee.[5] About a quarter of all oil carried by sea passes through the Strait, mainly from Persian Gulf suppliers to Asian markets. In 2007, an estimated 13.7 million barrels per day were transported through the strait, increasing to an estimated 15.2 million barrels per day in 2011.[6] In addition, it is also one of the world's most congested shipping choke points because it narrows to only 2.8 km (1.5 nautical miles) wide at the Phillips Channel (close to the south of Singapore)." - Wiki
Crowded sea lanes helps explain these accidents but they won't excuse them to the Navy chiefs back at the Pentagon.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-20 23:24:53   Reply   Private Reply

#3: rlk    To: nolu chan (#0)

10 sailors missing after Navy destroyer John S. McCain collides with merchant vessel

Were the hell was the RADAR and who was in command? The new incompetent navy.

rlk posted on 2017-08-21 01:21:55   Reply   Private Reply

#4: Hondo68    To: nolu chan (#0)

Disgruntled sailors gone suicidal because Trump canceled their sex change operations?

Hondo68 posted on 2017-08-21 01:40:54   Reply   Private Reply

#5: A Pole    To: nolu chan (#0)

A Pole posted on 2017-08-21 01:51:47   Reply   Private Reply

#6: Hondo68    To: A Pole (#5)

Hondo68 posted on 2017-08-21 02:15:17   Reply   Private Reply

#7: Tooconservative    To: hondo68 (#6)

The way that the Stain is nuzzling Lady Lindsey's hand makes me uncomfortable.

Is it just me or is Lieberman turning into Howdy Doody?

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-21 09:32:56   Reply   Private Reply

#8: Justified    To: nolu chan (#0)

If I were a CT I might just think China is using tankers as a way to get US Navy ships out of the way.

I also wonder how is it that a Navy ship with all its radar defense lets a tanker of all things sneak up on it, TWICE!!

Justified posted on 2017-08-21 09:38:47   Reply   Private Reply

#9: Justified    To: Tooconservative, hondo68 (#7)

Did you notice that McCain is where is "Songbird" shirt?

Justified posted on 2017-08-21 09:41:00   Reply   Private Reply

#10: paraclete    To: Tooconservative (#2)

Crowded sea lanes helps explain these accidents but they won't excuse them to the Navy chiefs back at the Pentagon.

I thought US ships were equipped with modern technology such as radar and sonar, etc and therefore it is reasonable to expect a 24 hour watch is kept particularly in busy shipping lanes. It seems this stealth tanker might have done the unthinkable and stopped in the path of a US warship. Don't let North Korea get this technology or they will win the war with their rust bucket fleet

paraclete posted on 2017-08-21 09:47:42   Reply   Private Reply

#11: Tooconservative    To: nolu chan (#0)

The 10 sailors are still missing.

The USS McStain is steaming back to Singapore. Video of the damage:

HotAir, mentioning the initial results of the Fitzgerald investigation, today:

The Navy has not yet released the results of its investigation into what happened to the Fitzgerald, but it has relieved its senior command of duty — actions that had just been announced on Thursday:
The captain of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, two senior officers and at least a dozen sailors are being disciplined for the horrifying collision that killed seven sailors in June off the coast of Japan.

The captain at the time, CDR Bryce Benson, has been relieved of duty, as were two other senior officers, CDR Sean Babbitt and Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin. …

The ship’s captain, along with the officers and men on watch that night are considered to have made critical mistakes which caused the collision.

The Navy Times reports that more disciplinary action will be coming. Now, however, one has to wonder whether these two incidents are coincidental anomalies, or a symptom of unreadiness in the Pacific fleet.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-21 10:12:23   Reply   Private Reply

#12: Hondo68    To: Justified, Canary Clan, Gatlin (#9)

Did you notice that McCain is where is "Songbird" shirt?

They claim to be hiking in Arizona, so maybe they're headed over to Gatlin's Canary Sanctuary?

Hondo68 posted on 2017-08-21 12:18:10   Reply   Private Reply

#13: nolu chan    To: Tooconservative (#11)

HotAir, mentioning the initial results of the Fitzgerald investigation, today:

The Fitzgerald analysis was fairly simple. The tanker sort of T-boned it on the starboard side. It would seem inescapable that the tanker had the right of way.

With this one torn up on the port side, it may have technically had the right of way. But it is like racing your car to get across the railroad tracks. Whether the train is coming from the right or left, it isn't stopping and it can't get out of the way. In a collision between a tin can and a tanker, tanker wins. The smaller, more maneuverable ship gets out of the way.

I just wonder what the hell is going on out there.

nolu chan posted on 2017-08-21 13:02:18   Reply   Private Reply

#14: nolu chan    To: Justified (#8)

If I were a CT I might just think China is using tankers as a way to get US Navy ships out of the way.

Nope. Tankers are not maneuverable enough to do that. The much more maneuverable destroyers should be getting out of the way. Beside radar, there's sonar and eyeballs on watch.

nolu chan posted on 2017-08-21 13:10:20   Reply   Private Reply

#15: Tooconservative    To: nolu chan (#13)

The Fitzgerald analysis was fairly simple. The tanker sort of T-boned it on the starboard side. It would seem inescapable that the tanker had the right of way.

Well, being as petty as I am, I just craved some closure to find out how the Fitzgerald story is ending. So I was glad that HotAir included that info.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-21 14:29:21   Reply   Private Reply

#16: Tooconservative    To: nolu chan (#14)

Beside radar, there's sonar and eyeballs on watch.

In theory. Maybe they were all busy playing Candy Crush on their smartphones and filling out applications to get sex changes.

Anyway, you've had a nice thread here with mostly on-topic posts.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-21 14:37:52   Reply   Private Reply

#17: Tooconservative    To: nolu chan (#14)

I see that HotAir had further reporting today.

It seems the Malaysian Navy found a body floating in open water.

Divers have located the remains of several sailors in the McCain but they aren't giving details just yet.

They also mentioned this:

ABC News recounts the other incidents that went largely unremarked until the two major collisions:

The USS Lake Champlain, a guided missile cruiser, collided with a fishing boat in the Sea of Japan in May. There were no injuries during that incident. The Navy ship tried to alert the fishing boat before the collision, but it was too late.

The USS Antietam, also a guided-missile cruiser, ran aground off the coast of Japan in February, damaging its propellers and spilling oil into the water.

So there is reason for the Navy chiefs to conduct a serious review of naval competence across the Pacific fleet.

We can't just ignore the neglect of the military during the 0bama years. It took its toll.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-22 19:16:01   Reply   Private Reply

#18: nolu chan    To: Tooconservative (#17)

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/08/22/remains-navy-sailors-found-on-uss-john-s-mccain.html

Remains of Navy sailors found on USS John S. McCain

By Katherine Lam
Published August 22, 2017 Fox News

Remains of some of the Navy sailors who went missing after a collision between USS John S. McCain and a tanker near Singapore were found in a compartment aboard the destroyer, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. Scott Swift said Tuesday.

Swift said "some remains" were found in sealed compartments during their search on Tuesday and Malaysian officials said they found one body, but were still in the process of identifying it.

[snip]

nolu chan posted on 2017-08-22 22:57:24   Reply   Private Reply

#19: Pinguinite    To: Tooconservative (#17)

The USS Antietam, also a guided-missile cruiser,

I feel offended that they named a naval ship after a civil war battle.

Pinguinite posted on 2017-08-23 00:13:14   Reply   Private Reply

#20: Tooconservative    To: Pinguinite (#19)

Well, some would say that it celebrates a victory over General Lee's army who was forced to withdraw from their invasion of Maryland, considered to be Lee's grand play to win the war for the Confederacy.

Despite having superiority of numbers, McClellan's attacks failed to achieve force concentration, which allowed Lee to counter by shifting forces and moving interior lines to meet each challenge. Therefore, despite ample reserve forces that could have been deployed to exploit localized successes, McClellan failed to destroy Lee's army.

McClellan had halted Lee's invasion of Maryland, but Lee was able to withdraw his army back to Virginia without interference from the cautious McClellan. McClellan's refusal to pursue Lee's army led to his removal from command by President Abraham Lincoln in November. Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, the Confederate troops had withdrawn first from the battlefield, making it a Union strategic victory. It was a sufficiently significant victory to give Lincoln the confidence to announce his Emancipation Proclamation, which discouraged the British and French governments from pursuing any potential plans to recognize the Confederacy.

But just to be safe, we should sink the USS Antietam because some neo-Confederates might think otherwise.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-23 05:47:08   Reply   Private Reply

#21: Tooconservative    To: nolu chan (#18)

Remains of Navy sailors found on USS John S. McCain

Not to complain but it seems your FNC excerpt conveys the same info as mine did. Unless you posted it just to confirm the earlier reporting from HotAir's article which derived from reporting by AP, ABC, CBS and Stripes.com.

They're probably all just reporting from the same exact sources at the Pentagon.

I was interested as well in the grounding of the Antietam. I found a bit more on Wiki which based this summary on reporting from Stars & Stripes, Navy Times, CNN, and USNI News.

On 31 January 2017, commanded by CAPT Joseph Carrigan, Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay near its home port of Yokosuka, Japan. Antietam was anchored off the coast in 30 knot winds and a strong tide when the crew noticed the ship was dragging its anchor. They got the ship underway, but shortly after doing so, they felt the ship shudder as it lost all pitch control in both propellers. They had run aground on a shoal with damage to both propellers and one of the propeller hubs, causing 1,100 US gallons (4,200 l) of hydraulic oil to leak into the water.[4][5] No personnel were injured during the incident.[6] Repairs are expected to cost at least $4.2 million.[7]
USNI included a mention of a 2009 grounding.
The last major grounding of a Ticonderoga-class cruiser was USS Port Royal (CG-73) off of Hawaii in 2009. The repairs cost more than $40 million in then-year dollars – though the damage was much more extensive than the early reports from Antietam.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-23 05:58:42   Reply   Private Reply

#22: Stoner    To: Tooconservative (#7)

" The way that the Stain is nuzzling Lady Lindsey's hand makes me uncomfortable.

Is it just me or is Lieberman turning into Howdy Doody? "

Maybe Stain & Lady Lindsey are coming out of the closet? I think we all already knew.

I think your right about Lieberman, LOL !!

Stoner posted on 2017-08-23 10:09:42   Reply   Private Reply

#23: Stoner    To: nolu chan (#0)

I don't know what the problem is with the US Navy. But it is obvious that we have some REALLY BIG, BIG PROBLEMS !!!! WE HAVE TO CORRECT THOSE PROBLEMS REAL DAMN QUICK !!!!

If we have these kinds of problems with surface ships, how squared away are the sub fleet, aviation wing, etc ?

And do we have problems of similar magnitude/import with the Air Force, Army, Marines ?

How much of these problems are a result of 8 years of Obutthole ?

Whatever the problem, or the cause, WE NEED TO CORRECT IT LIKE YESTERDAY, PDQ !!!!

Stoner posted on 2017-08-23 10:21:31   Reply   Private Reply

#24: Stoner    To: Tooconservative (#7)

" is Lieberman turning into Howdy Doody? "

Is that Clarabell standing to his right ?

Stoner posted on 2017-08-23 10:30:15   Reply   Private Reply

#25: Tooconservative    To: Stoner (#24)

I'm not sure. But Liebertroll looks insane in that pic.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-23 11:53:27   Reply   Private Reply

#26: Tooconservative    To: Stoner, Pinguinite, nolu chan, misterwhite (#23)

A bit more today:

HotAir: Bad news for the U.S. 7th Fleet Commander

You've probably already guessed that the bad news was that he was relieved of his command. Not much else in the article we haven't already read.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-24 00:56:50   Reply   Private Reply

#27: nolu chan    To: Tooconservative (#21)

Not to complain but it seems your FNC excerpt conveys the same info as mine did.

Sorry, I didn't notice how similar it was. It was the first I saw citing a named Navy official as its source.

nolu chan posted on 2017-08-24 01:19:35   Reply   Private Reply

#28: Tooconservative    To: nolu chan (#27)

I'm not sure I suffered enough to deserve a 'sorry'.     : )

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-24 06:20:16   Reply   Private Reply