https://news.usni.org/2017/08/...s-punishments-coming

THE PENTAGON — The top three leaders of the guided-missile destroyer involved in the June collision, which resulted in the death of seven sailors and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, have been removed from their positions, the vice chief of naval operations told reporters on Thursday afternoon.

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) commander Cmdr. Bryce Benson, executive officer Cmdr. Sean Babbitt and command master chief CMC Brice Baldwin were removed from their positions by U.S. 7th Fleet commander Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin this week based on the early results of several investigations into the June 17 collision between the destroyer and the merchant ship ACX Crystal, VCNO Adm. Bill Moran told reporters.

As the investigations continue, Moran said there could further punitive actions taken, including against Fitzgerald’s leadership. Neither Benson, Babbitt nor Baldwin were on the bridge when the collision occurred.

While the leadership have not been separated from the Navy, Moran said being detached for cause because of this incident sends a message.

“Several junior officers were relieved of their duties due to poor seamanship and flawed teamwork as bridge and combat information center watchstanders. Additional administrative actions were taken against members of both watch teams,” read the statement.

“The collision was avoidable and both ships demonstrated poor seamanship. Within Fitzgerald, flawed watch stander teamwork and inadequate leadership contributed to the collision that claimed the lives of seven Fitzgerald sailors, injured three more and damaged both ships.”

According to a timeline of events, neither a collision alarm nor general quarters were sounded ahead of Crystal hitting the ship at about 1:30 a.m. on June 17, and the first indication to most of the crew that the ship had hit anything was the lurch they felt in their bunks.

http://www.marinelog.com/index...lieves-co&Itemid=229

Cmdr. Benson is being reassigned to Naval District Washington at the Washington Navy Yard, where he will have access to medical facilities in the area.

*********************

stunning that a modern DDG 51 class didn't know a large cargo ship was going to hit it.

We still do not know what the DDG 62 track was prior to the collision. If DDG 62 was on a steady course, then the discussion kicked off earlier about Crystal "overtaking" becomes an issue.

However the collision could only have occurred w the type of multiple DDG 62 failures as reflected in the Navy report.

It is possible the whole collision boils down to DDG 62 missing the Crystal approx. 20 deg turn to port at 0115.

quote:

The seven sailors who died in Berthing 2 were in the racks closest to the access space that was vented to the open ocean “and directly in the path of the onrushing water."

Sounds like they had no chance, they drowned in their racks.

quote:

In particular, Moran singled out the actions of Gary Leo Rehm Jr., who was advanced to Chief Petty Officer posthumously this week. Rehm helped get several sailors out to the exits while Berthing 2 was flooding and was one of the seven who died.

“In Gary Rehm is the sprit, courage and values of what we’d expect of a chief petty officer,” Moran said.
“CPO Rehm’s actions that night clearly embodied those values as he and several others crew members did some extraordinary things to make sure they could save additional lives. Selflessly he gave his own, and saved the ship, which was in jeopardy after the collision.”

Well deserved promotion, hopefully awarding of the NMC Medal also.

http://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/...-ingalls-industries/

Navy Intends to Restore USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) at Huntington Ingalls Industries

The Navy intends to award a contract initiating the restoration of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in Pascagoula, Mississippi, before the end of the fiscal year. The start date, scope, cost and the time required to fully restore the ship have not yet been determined.

The Navy chose this course of action following a review of the capabilities and workload of new construction and repair shipyards. Given the complexity of the work and the significant unknowns of the restoration, the Navy determined that only an Arleigh Burke-class shipbuilder could perform the effort. Only HII has the available capacity to restore USS Fitzgerald to full operational status in the shortest period of time with minimal disruption to ongoing repair and new construction work.

Additionally, the Navy is currently evaluating proposals to award a contract for the heavy lift transport of USS Fitzgerald from SRF-JRMC Yokosuka to the continental United States.

USS Fitzgerald was involved in a collision with the Philippine-flagged merchant vessel ACX Crystal on June 17. The ship suffered damage on her starboard side above and below the waterline. Compartments that were affected include two berthing spaces, a radio room, a machinery space, and various lockers, passageways, and access trunks. In addition to the restoration effort, the Navy intends to incorporate previously planned modernization efforts into the availability that were to have taken place at SRF-JRMC Yokosuka in 2019.

http://www.navy.mil/submit/dis....asp?story_id=102126

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command has awarded a $3.1 million firm, fixed-price contract for the heavy lift of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62).

Patriot Shipping, based out of Houston, Texas, has been awarded the contract to move Fitzgerald from Yokosuka, Japan, to Pascagoula, Mississippi where the ship will be repaired by Huntington Ingalls Industries.

Heavy-lift will be completed by November 2017.

contrary to the post above,

Dutch marine conglomerate Royal Boskalis Westminster announced Wednesday that its Dockwise subsidiary has won a contract from Military Sealift Command for the transportation of the damaged destroyer USS Fitzgerald.

The Dockwise semi-submersible heavy lift ship Transshelf will load the Fitzgerald in the fourth quarter for transportation to Huntington Ingalls' Pascagoula shipyard, where she will undergo extensive repairs.

https://maritime-executive.com...sport-uss-fitzgerald

https://news.usni.org/2017/09/...42&mc_eid=cd9005089f

Following this year’s pair of deadly collisions between U.S. guided missile destroyers and merchant ships, the Navy is now considering whether it’s surface fleet is often too stealthy.

Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson were peppered with questions Tuesday about their efforts to prevent further collisions while appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

One of the immediate changes to fleet operations, according to Spencer and Richardson, is the Navy’s surface fleet ships will now announce their presence in heavily trafficked shipping lanes.

While the Navy has for years had AIS onboard, Richardson said the system was rarely used.

“We had, I think, a distorted perception of operational security that we kept that system secure – off – on our warships,” Richardson said. “ One of the immediate actions following these incidents – particularly in heavily trafficked areas we’re just going to turn it on.”

https://news.usni.org/2017/09/...ps-recent-collisions

The Navy is creating a new Naval Surface Group Western Pacific to train and certify forward-deployed surface ships operating out of Japan and has begun additional readiness assessments and certifications, after four surface ship collisions and groundings in the region that killed 17 sailors this year.

the Navy “commenced Readiness for Sea Assessments (RFSA) for all ships assigned to Japan, to inspect and assess watchstander proficiency and material readiness to ensure ships are able to safely navigate, communicate and operate. Immediate remediation will be conducted for ships found deficient, and they will not be assigned for operational tasking until they are certified to be ready.”

On the personnel readiness side, Commander of Naval Surface Forces Vice Adm. Tom Rowden recently mandated that ship crews move to a 24-hour circadian rhythm watchstanding rotation, to allow sailors to get regularly scheduled sleep that their bodies can adjust to, Richardson explained during the hearing. This schedule had been recommended previously and implemented on some ships, but now all surface ships will develop this type of schedule for at-sea operations. Richardson said the change has not yet been mandated for ships in port, but that in-port workload and watchstanding rotation is being studied now. Additionally, to combat the 100-plus hours a week sailors sometimes work – which contributes to lack of sleep – “we’re starting to respond to that by supplementing the crews,” he said.

On the ship side, Richardson said that simple steps such as turning on warships’ automatic identification system (AIS), which shows the location of commercial and military ships in the water, would increase warships’ visibility in congested waterways and potentially prevent future mishaps.

In addition to measures to make future operations safer, the Navy has reprimanded 20 sailors in the aftermath of the fatal USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) and USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) collisions this year

A Navy official confirmed that number to USNI News and said those reprimands went to a range of senior enlisted sailors and junior officers charged with operating the bridge and combat information center Fitzgerald and McCain.

Thanks for the update!

"The U.S. Navy has already taken action to prevent future mishaps involving its ships at sea, including turning on the Automatic Identification Systems of its vessels in high-traffic areas.

The Navy’s new policy on transmitting AIS was revealed by the Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson during questioning following his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee this week on the recent incidents involving Navy Surface Fleet ships. The incidents include the deadly collisions involving USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain as well as two earlier incidents, one of which was a collision.

Under U.S. and international regulations, nearly all ships are required to carry Automatic Identification Systems that automatically transmit key information about the ship – such as vessel identity, type, position, course, speed, navigational status and other safety-related information – so that info can be picked up other ships, coastal authorities, or aircraft.

Under U.S. law, however, warships and other Government vessels are not required to use AIS, even though almost all Navy ships are equipped with a functioning AIS system – it just happens to be turned off."

"It just happens to be turned off" . . . classic

It's worth noting that AIS only transmits information that is manually entered into it (other than speed and heading). It doesn't have to say it is a warship, destination, displacement, etc. It could transmit that it is a freighter, fishing boat, etc. Whatever is put into the AIS transponder. At least others would know there is SOME kind of vessel on a collision course with them and could take appropriate action.

quote:

warships and other Government vessels

I like this line. Gee, what 'other' government vessels...?

quote:

Originally posted by Shaql:

quote:

warships and other Government vessels

I like this line. Gee, what 'other' government vessels...?

How about the EPA and NOAA research vessels like R/V Lake Guardian or Gordon Gunter?

http://www.defenseworld.net/ne...zgerald#.Wc3Inlu3x6s

Huntington Ingalls is being awarded a $29.4 million contract for initial planning of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) emergent repair and restoration.

This initial planning and preparation phase of an availability will include a combination of restoration and modernization of USS Fitzgerald. USS Fitzgerald is planned to arrive at Ingalls Shipbuilding in December 2017 via heavy lift ship.

A contract modification to incorporate full restoration and modernization scope is anticipated December 2017. The initial phase of work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2017.

quote:

Originally posted by Shaql:

quote:

warships and other Government vessels

I like this line. Gee, what 'other' government vessels...?

Here are a few partial lists (not including USCG and NOAA):
http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/
http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships.htm
https://www.unols.org/ships-facilities/unols-vessels

On a side note, I have sailed as Master or Mate on 7 of the vessels on the above lists.

quote:

Originally posted by sdy:
http://www.defenseworld.net/ne...zgerald#.Wc3Inlu3x6s

Huntington Ingalls is being awarded a $29.4 million contract for initial planning of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) emergent repair and restoration.

This initial planning and preparation phase of an availability will include a combination of restoration and modernization of USS Fitzgerald. USS Fitzgerald is planned to arrive at Ingalls Shipbuilding in December 2017 via heavy lift ship.

A contract modification to incorporate full restoration and modernization scope is anticipated December 2017. The initial phase of work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2017.

While not new news, as the repair location choice was made over a month ago, the $29m contract is the updated information.
http://gcaptain.com/bath-snubb...cagoula-for-repairs/

https://news.usni.org/2017/08/...-gulf-coast-shipyard

Amazing...no words. SMH...
USS Fitzgerald Back in Yokosuka After Suffering Damage During Transit

Crippled US destroyer damaged by transport ship

FYI- USS John McCain is still in PI, a month after a crack was discovered during it's transit from Singapore to Yokosuka.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
...the $29m contract is the updated information.

That's a lot of Flex-Tape.

Good.

Navy filing negligent homicide charges against 2 ship commanders

"WASHINGTON — The Navy says it is filing negligent homicide charges against the commanders of two ships involved in fatal collisions last year.

The charges are to be presented at what the military calls an Article 32 hearing, which will determine whether the accused are court-martialed.

The actions, including charges against several lower-ranking officers, were announced Tuesday by the Navy’s chief spokesman, Capt. Greg Hicks.

Hicks says the decision to file charges was made by Adm. Frank Caldwell, head of the Navy’s nuclear reactors program, who reviewed evidence of what caused the collisions.

The USS Fitzgerald collided with a commercial ship in waters off Japan in June, killing seven sailors.

Ten sailors were killed when the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in Southeast Asia in August."

Looks like more heads are rolling as the charges against both ship CO's and a handful of their subordinates have been filed. Meanwhile, more brass is getting pushed out. Granted, like 7th Fleet Adm Acoin, Rowden was already on the way towards retirement, nevertheless, they're looking for scalps. Next step, actual training of SWO's before they hit the fleet.

SWO Boss Rowden Out Early As Part of Additional Disciplinary Actions for Fatal McCain, Fitzgerald Collisions

quote:

The head of U.S. naval surface forces will be replaced this week following the results of an independent investigation into the two fatal collisions in the Western Pacific that claimed the lives of 17 sailors, several defense officials confirmed to USNI News this week.

Vice Adm. Tom Rowden was set to retire in a ceremony on Feb. 2 before being replaced as commander of U.S. Surface Forces (SURFOR) and U.S. Surface Force Pacific (SURFPAC) but will instead quietly depart the position to allow his replacement, Rear Adm. Richard Brown, to take charge sooner.

....

https://news.usni.org/2018/05/...fficer-pleads-guilty

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – Lt. j.g. Sarah B. Coppock was contrite and quiet when she pleaded guilty on a single criminal charge for her role in the collision between the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) and a merchant ship that killed seven sailors.

Before a military judge and almost a dozen family members of the sailors who died, she pleaded guilty to one violation of Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Coppock was the officer of the deck when Fitzgerald collided with ACX Crystal off the coast of Japan on June 17. As part of a plea arrangement, she told military judge Capt. Charles Purnell her actions were partially responsible for the deaths of the sailors who drowned in their berthing after the collision.

In her plea, Coppock admitted that she violated ship commander Cmdr. Bryce Benson’s standing orders several times during the overnight transit off the coast of Japan, violated Coast Guard navigation rules, did not communicate effectively with the watch standers in the Combat Information Center, did not operate safely in a high-density traffic condition and did not alert the crew ahead of a collision.

Purnell sentenced her three months reduced pay and issued a punitive reprimand.

While Coppock did admit to wrongdoing, both the prosecutors and defense attorneys painted a picture of a difficult operating environment.

When Fitzgerald collided with Crystal, the malfunctioning SPS-73 bridge radar was tracking more than 200 surface tracks – a mix of large merchant ships and fishing vessels near the coast of Japan, according to the findings of fact in the trial. Coppock was under orders for the ship to cross a busy merchant shipping lane – a so-called traffic separation – that wasn’t labeled on the charts provided by the navigation team. She was also ordered to keep the ship moving at a high-rate of speed during the transit – 20 to 22 knots. The high speed lowered the time the crew could react to ships around them.

Coppock said she didn’t rely enough on the officers on watch in the ship’s combat information center (CIC) to help keep track of the surface contacts as a back up to her crew on the bridge. Prosecutors and defense attorneys that the conditions aboard Fitzgerald made the collision more likely.

“Coppock failed in her duties, but she received very little support,” prosecutor Lt. Cmdr. Paul Hochmuth argued during the sentencing portion of the trial.
“Being complacent was the standard on USS Fitzgerald.”

During the sentencing portion of the trial, lawyers for the defense outlined the gapped billets and inability to complete training on Fitzgerald. For example, the ship had been without a chief quartermaster for two years before the collision, and the SPS-73 navigation radar was unreliable, defense attorney Lt. Ryan Mooney said, quoting from the Navy’s investigation into the collision. The watch stander in the CIC who operated the SPS-67 search and surveillance radar was unfamiliar with the system.

“Lt. Coppock was not put in a position to succeed,” Mooney said.
“She was set up to fail.”

The charge Coppock faced on Tuesday as part of the plea agreement was less severe than charges announced by the Navy in January, in which Coppock and two other unidentified junior officers on Fitzgerald faced a combination of charges that included negligent homicide and hazarding a vessel.

While not specified in the trial, the nature of the plea agreement suggests Coppock will likely be a prosecution witness against the upcoming courts-martial of then-Fitzgerald commander Benson or the two other junior officers who have been charged, two military lawyers told USNI News last week.

The two watchstanders who were in the CIC during the collision will face a judge on Wednesday for preliminary hearings on criminal charges for their roles in the collision that include hazarding a vessel and negligence.

According to the schematic in the article, there are 15 stations for bridge crew. At the time of the accident, only 6 stations were manned. Among the unmanned stations were the exterior lookouts and exterior bearing takers.

The captain had ordered a fast transit (20-22 knots) across the busy shipping lane for Tokyo.

Why would bridge manning be so thin when conducting an evolution in crowded waters, at night, at high speed when the radar was tracking over 200 targets?

There is unfortunately a whole lot that this article doesn't say. It seems that there was a lot wrong on that ship besides the actions of Lt. J.G. Coppock.

ETA: Note that I am not defending Coppock. She was senior watch stander and in command at the time of the incident, and thus she was responsible for the ship. I'm trying to find a copy of the actual guilty plea, rather than just the reports of it, to find out what she really admitted plead to.