Dreamer’s World June 18, 2017 – Fallen Shipmates
For the last day, I have
been following the tragic events from Japan involving the USS Fitzgerald
(DDG-62) off the coast of Japan. Sadly, 7 sailors are dead following a
collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a merchant ship. From all the details
that have been made public, it seems that the accident occurred at 0230 local
time, in the middle of the night and the sailors who lost their lives may have
been sleeping at the time. Judging from the picture of the Fitzgerald that was
taken as she was arriving back in port. It is very likely that some on the
berthing compartments that might be below the waterline might have been
directly hit. I never served on a DDG ship such as the Fitzgerald, so I am not
sure of the layout of the interior of the ship, but I am familiar with the Navy
since I served myself.
I feel so sorry for those
sailors who lost their lives due to an accident. A Navy vessel is an incredibly
complex piece of engineering, and when something like this happens there will
be an investigation regarding the events leading up to the collision. Ships do
not operate without being aware of their surroundings, especially at night.
This means that there will be a trail of evidence to identify exactly what
happened that night. The Navy will find the cause of this but it may never be
made public. Careers will be ruined, but that is nothing compared to the lives
that have been lost. From what I have read, those 7 sailors drowned when the
compartments that they were in were flooded. While every effort would have been
made to reach those sailors and to save them, at a point the ship itself must
be saved and compartments that are damaged must be sealed off. For those who
have never served, think of the Titanic, where there were no completely
watertight compartments throughout the ship and the water continued to rush in.
Exactly how those sailors died isn’t clear. It is possible, and extremely
disturbing to think, that they may have been asleep and if they weren’t injured
in the collision that they were drowned.
I have some experience with Navy vessels that are involved in
collisions at sea. Over 20 years ago, I was serving on USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55)
when there was a collision in the middle of the night with another navy vessel,
the USS Theodore Roosevelt. I found an old picture online and included it. As
you can tell from the picture, we were extremely fortunate that the collision
was at the bow of the ship (the front) and not along the side, as with the Fitzgerald.
I still remember that immediately before the impact that the ship took a sudden
and violent turn as one of the Boatswains Mates swung the wheel hard over to bring
the bow of the ship in line for the unavoidable collision. This is the reason
that the middle of our ship was not struck, and that is what saved lives. This
is the thing that saved lives that night. I was awake and on watch when the
collision occurred and I remember grabbing onto the nearest piece of equipment
that was mounted to the deck to avoid being thrown around like a rag doll. The
only way I can describe the feeling is that it must have been the same as being
in a car that has been hit by a train. You have no choice but to wait for the
impact and the momentum to stop before you can really respond.
The accidents involving the Fitzgerald and the Leyte Gulf were
both avoidable. They should never have happened. But that is like saying that
with all the experience and safety equipment available in cars today that no
one should ever die while traveling in one. Accidents do happen, and they need
to be fully investigated to teach others what to be cautious of in the future.
It is sad that there are 7 fallen shipmates who are gone forever because of this accident.
FAIR WINDS
AND FOLLOWING SEAS
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