USS FITGERALD Collision: June 17, 2017

[tomahawk6]

The USS Fitzgerald struck a merchant vessel 56miles from Yokosuka.The Fitzgerald was struck amidships causing three compartments to flood.I think they can get the ship to port but casualties and damage is unknown.Video at the link.
According to reports the USS Dewey and 2 tugs were dispatched to the Fitzgerald's location.One injured sailor was choppered to shore and there are 7 sailors missing.

https://www.navytimes.com/articles/us-navy-destroyer-collides-with-merchant-ship

Update with images. The CO cabin was among the areas hit. Looks like the naval designers and shipyard built one tough ship.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-naval-vessel-collides-merchant-ship-southwest-japan-n773521

Edit: Title, to reflect name of vessel and date

 

[Halifax Tar]

Fair winds and following seas too Fitzgerald and her crew.  From all accounts you have done well to save the ship.  Looks like her skipper was medically evacuated and she is under the command of her XO.

My thoughts and prayers go out the 7 missing sailors.  I hope they are found quickly and in good health.

Taken from wikipedia:

"At approximately 2:30 AM local time, June 17, 2017, Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine flagged container ship, the ACX Crystal, about 50 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan. Seven American sailors were missing immediately after the collision and several others were injured. The ship's captain was medically evacuated from the vessel and the executive officer assumed command as the destroyer limped back to port under her own power, with the assistance of the Japanese coast guard.[7]The collision caused significant damage to the starboard side of the ship and some flooding. One injured sailor was taken off the ship by the Japanese Coast Guard at the request of the US Navy."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Fitzgerald

 

[tomahawk6]

Looks like they are pumping out alot of water from the image. Flooded compartments may be where the missing sailors are as a berthing area was in the crumple zone. The ship made it into Yokosuka. The base has dry docks so they will be able to get it out of the water.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Looks like they are pumping out alot of water from the image. Flooded compartments may be where the missing sailors are as a berthing area was in the crumple zone. The ship made it into Yokosuka. The base has dry docks so they will be able to get it out of the water.

She has taken on a good list in that second photo eh.

 

[jollyjacktar]

I am curious about below the waterline.  The visible damage wouldn't cause flooding as it's well above that.  Whatever is going on is significant as that appears to be at least a good 5 degree list to starboard.  Glad to see they were able to conduct good DC and get her into port. 

 

[tomahawk6]

The container ship has a bulbous bow  that caused the damage below the waterline.A modern day ram.

7th Fleet PR

http://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/Article/1217773/uss-fitzgerald-returns-to-yokosuka/

The collision affected Fitzgerald's forward starboard side above and below the water line, causing significant damage and associated flooding to two berthing spaces, a machinery space, and the radio room, which damage control teams quickly began dewatering. Though the ship is back in Yokosuka it remains uncertain as to how long it will take to gain access to the spaces in order to methodically continue the search for the missing.

Once the ship arrived in Yokosuka, divers began inspecting the damage and developing a plan for repairs and inspection of the spaces.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Jjt:

It looks like she took a bow on glancing blow at a 30 to 45 degree angle from the container ship. The bow did the damage above deck and would have rolled the Fitzgerald to port some, at which point the container ship's bulbous bow (they all have them nowadays) would have rammed the compartments now well below the waterline and opened them to the sea.

I sincerely hope there are pockets of air left in the flooded compartments and the seamen have found them.

Thoughts and prayer go to them and their families.

 

[jollyjacktar]

I sincerely hope there are pockets of air left in the flooded compartments and the seamen have found them.

Thoughts and prayer go to them and their families.

Oh, God yes.  It goes to show that shit can happen at any time at sea and you need to be ready for it.  I really hope they find survivors.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Man, what a mess. Just like in the PROTECTEUR fire, it goes to show fast things at sea can go from boring to doing everything humanly possible to save your skin.

I would be real interested in seeing how much of the ship's company was involved directly in DC efforts. It makes me wonder if the skinny crewing on an LCS could have saved that class of ship in a similar situation. Automated systems are not going to help you shore bulkheads and hatches- that is a straight, brute strength evolution. You get behind the flooding/buoyancy curve- you are in the rafts.

Good work to the crew in saving the ship. They will be exhausted both physically and emotionally.

 

[Occam]

The collision affected Fitzgerald's forward starboard side above and below the water line, causing significant damage and associated flooding to two berthing spaces, a machinery space, and the radio room, which damage control teams quickly began dewatering.

Coming from a Naval Comms background, I've always wondered:  Do you put your Communications Control Room above the waterline, where it's at risk from missile threats, or put it below the waterline, where it's at risk of damage/flooding from mines, torpedoes and collisions?  In today's day and age, if you can't communicate, you seriously lose the ability to fight the ship, especially with integrated communications systems (telephone/intercom/radio interfaces/public address)...not to mention the fact that Ops loses a big part of the tactical picture if your tactical data links go down.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Man, what a mess. Just like in the PROTECTEUR fire, it goes to show fast things at sea can go from boring to doing everything humanly possible to save your skin.

I would be real interested in seeing how much of the ship's company was involved directly in DC efforts. It makes me wonder if the skinny crewing on an LCS could have saved that class of ship in a similar situation. Automated systems are not going to help you shore bulkheads and hatches- that is a straight, brute strength evolution. You get behind the flooding/buoyancy curve- you are in the rafts.

Good work to the crew in saving the ship. They will be exhausted both physically and emotionally.

Sadly with the "new" MAR TECH trade, teaching the advanced DC skills to the QL 5 HT is gone.  I believe DC capabilities will only continue to decline as the legacy folks depart.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Coming from a Naval Comms background, I've always wondered:  Do you put your Communications Control Room above the waterline, where it's at risk from missile threats, or put it below the waterline, where it's at risk of damage/flooding from mines, torpedoes and collisions?  In today's day and age, if you can't communicate, you seriously lose the ability to fight the ship, especially with integrated communications systems (telephone/intercom/radio interfaces/public address)...not to mention the fact that Ops loses a big part of the tactical picture if your tactical data links go down.

I don't want to sound callous, Occam, nor prejudge anything until the facts are all known, but it seems to me  that Ops had lost the tactical picture well before the collision on this one.

 

[Good2Golf]

Jjt:

It looks like she took a bow on glancing blow at a 30 to 45 degree angle from the container ship. The bow did the damage above deck and would have rolled the Fitzgerald to port some, at which point the container ship's bulbous bow (they all have them nowadays) would have rammed the compartments now well below the waterline and opened them to the sea.

I sincerely hope there are pockets of air left in the flooded compartments and the seamen have found them.

Thoughts and prayer go to them and their families.

OGBD, would this geometry have showed FITZ a red port light and ACX Crystal would have seen gren stbd?

Regards
G2G

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

That confirms my geometry from looking at the Fitzgerald's damage: about 30 to 45 degrees difference in direction of vessels, both heading in same general direction.

Since this is near the cut off point between side lights and stern light, it is quite possible that the two vessels did not see the situation in the same way. Considering how wide ships are nowadays, If you are just at the cut off point between the two (which would make it around 112 degrees from the head of the Fitzgerald heading - with the container ship on Fitzgerald's starboard side) it is quite possible that the Container ship saw the Fitzgerald's green light, while Fitzgerald's saw the CS's red light but coming from astern of 112 degrees.

The CS would have interpreted this as crossing situation, and understood itself to be the stand on vessel, while the Fitzgerald interpreted the situation as an overtaking situation, thus considered herself to be the stand on vessel, and assumed the CS would manoeuver to go around her stern.

The investigation will shed more light (no pun) on the matter.

I am just surprized that at some point, someone on the Fitz didn't notice this was getting close and kicked her into high gear to 32 knots + to just outrun the merchie.

 

[Good2Golf]

4 LMs could do a pretty decent job of helping get out of the way, although Crystal looks to have 40,000 shp and can do 25 kts, so maybe not as much outrunning to be done?

Regards
G2G

 

[Furniture]

I sincerely hope there are pockets of air left in the flooded compartments and the seamen have found them.

Thoughts and prayer go to them and their families.

Given the water temperatures off the coast I'd say the chances of survivors after this long in the water is extremely low. It's a sad day in the 7th fleet, and for anyone who makes a living on the water.

 

[FJAG]

I've got a bit of a question of the more nautically inclined.

The news articles indicate the collision occurred at about 0230 hrs 17 Jun local time (Japan Standard Time). JST is at +9 hrs UTC which would make the collision at 1730 hrs 16 Jun UTC.

I've checked the track of the ACX Crystal on Vessel Finder ( https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9360611 this gives you her present location. Click the green "Track" icon to the left and her track will be displayed) and it looks a little strange (there's no track that I can find for the USNS Fitzgerald on either Vessel Finder or Marine Traffic)

What I find strange is that Crystal seemed to be steaming easterly until 1630 UTC and then made a sharp turn south for six minutes before again steaming easterly until 1705 UTC at which point she makes a sharp course reversal and steams westerly until 1735 at which point she makes a slight course correction to port and at 1740 steers hard to port until 1756 at which time she reverses course to go north until 1859 and then she returns to an easterly course for Tokyo.

At first I thought that the first course change at 1630 UTC was made at the time of the collision after which she turned back to Tokyo before returning to the site of the crash (which would make sense if the Fitzgerald was calling for assistance), but the UTC timings don't work for that. If I've got those right then the collision would have happened as she was steaming back westerly which doesn't make too much sense.

Any thoughts? Am I off on the +9 hour UTC or the math?

:cheers:

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

You are right on the maths, FJAG, but I suspect that the author of the article may not know that Japan does not have Daylight Saving time and converted the info given by the Navy, likely in UTC time, to local time and screwed it up. That's what comes to my mind because, from the track (I looked at it, thank you for the link) I would say the Southerly six minute run (you can see a slowing down in speed too) beginning at 16:30 UTC has got to be the collision.

It all fits with the pictures and my analysis (which is why I like it  ). That would put the Fitzgerald on a course of about 130-140 degrees, and when the collision occurs, the collision actually causes the southerly turn of the Crystal. It then continues on but decides, probably after all hell broke lose, to return to the scene of the crime, so to speak.

Two things to remember here, FJAG.

First, warships do not operate (or very, very rarely do) their automated identification and tracking systems, of any kind, so you will not find their tracks anywhere.

Second, the Fitzgerald  (A USS, by the way, not a USNS - not the same thing - USNS are naval support vessels operated by civilians in support of the US Navy) is an Arleigh Burke class ship. It was built with a reduced radar signature profile, as a result of which, it shows up as something the size of a small to medium sized fishing vessel  on the radar of a container ship like Crystal. Seeing a "small" vessel that did not reply with a AIS signal in front of them, Crystal may have assumed it was a fisherman or such small vessel (less than 300 tons) and he would get out of their way or calculated it would be close but they would clear. In any event they may have been confused, 

 

[Rifleman62]

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:138.0/centery:35.0/zoom:10

You can play around with the info at link to get various info including 21 pages of speed, course etc. Lots of changes of course starting on page 4.

 

[Blackadder1916]

First, warships do not operate (or very, very rarely do) their automated identification and tracking systems, of any kind, so you will not find their tracks anywhere.

Perhaps, unless they turn them off while you are looking at their track (somewhat to the SW of the collision . . . okay, not really close).

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?mmsi=316147000
https://www.vesselfinder.com/?mmsi=316195000