USS Fitzgerald collision: Crew 'should have spoken up' before accident, official says

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USS Fitzgerald collision: Crew 'should have spoken up' before accident, official says
By Lucas Tomlinson Published July 21, 2017 Fox News
RE: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/07...cial-says.html

Crew members aboard the USS Fitzgerald "should have spoken up" long before the American warship collided with a massive cargo vessel off the coast of Japan last month, U.S. officials said on Friday.

"There were many people who should have spoken up," one U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation, told Fox News.

The "rules of the road" at sea mandate states that any ship should keep out of the way of any ship on her right, or starboard, side.

The USS Fitzgerald was struck on her starboard side on June 17 by a cargo ship three times larger than the American warship. Seven American sailors were killed in the incident.

But the investigation into the collision still has a long way to go, a Navy official said Thursday.

"We are in the early stages of the investigation process to develop a comprehensive picture of what caused the collision and do not have any definitive information to release at this time," Rear Admiral Dawn Cutler, U.S. Navy Chief of Information, said in a statement. "It is premature to speculate on causation or any other issues. Once we have a detailed understanding of the facts and circumstances, we will share those findings with the Fitzgerald families, our Congressional oversight committees and the general public."

One U.S. official pointed to the U.S. Coast Guard's Navigation Rules & Regulations Handbook which clearly states this rule: "When two power-driven vessels are crossing so as to involve risk of collision, the vessel which has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way and shall, if the circumstances of the case admit, avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel."

There are two navigation teams aboard every Navy warship, one on the bridge where the ship is driven and another team below the bridge in the combat information center, where a backup chart and radar team are located. This means there were two teams of sailors that missed recommending and taking "decisive and early action," the official told Fox News.


Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews

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U.S. warship crew found likely at fault in June collision: official
Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Leslie Adler
RE: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...A62FX?rpc=401&

(Photo on site only: The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) sits in Dry Dock 4 for continued repairs and assessment of damage it sustained during its June 17, 2017 collision with a merchant vessel at Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka in Yokosuka, Japan in this photo taken July 11, 2017. Courtesy of U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Leonard Adams/Handout via REUTERS)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The crew of the USS Fitzgerald was likely at fault in the warship's collision with a Philippine cargo ship in June and had not been paying attention to their surroundings, according to initial findings in an investigation, a U.S. defense official told Reuters on Friday.

Multiple U.S. and Japanese investigations are under way into how the USS Fitzgerald, a guided missile destroyer, and the much larger ACX Crystal container ship collided in clear weather south of Tokyo Bay in the early hours of June 17.

The collision tore a gash below the Fitzgerald's waterline, killing seven sailors in what was the greatest loss of life on a U.S. Navy vessel since the USS Cole was bombed in Yemen's Aden harbor in 2000.

"There was not a lot that went right leading up to the crash. There were a string of errors, but they did a lot after the collision to save lives and the ship," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said that in addition to crew members not paying attention to their surroundings, they did not take action until it was too late.

While the investigation is not complete, the official said crew members had given statements and radar data had been gathered, and it was unlikely the findings would change.

A U.S. Navy spokeswoman said the investigation was in the early stages and it was premature to speculate on the causes.

The incident has spurred a number of investigations, including those by the U.S. Navy and a probe by the United States Coast Guard on behalf of the National Transportation Safety Board. The Japan Transport Safety Board and the Philippines government are conducting separate investigations.

Last month Reuters reported that an account of the incident by the Philippine cargo ship's captain said that the U.S. warship had failed to respond to warning signals or take evasive action before the collision.

The ACX Crystal had been chartered by Japan's Nippon Yusen KK.