quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
How in the hell does another ship even get close enough to hit an aircraft carrier?

That was exactly my thoughts. Remember the Cole.

The ship the aircraft carrier may have hit had left the Suez Canal. The aircraft carrier was in an area full of ships waiting to enter the Suez Canal.

It doesn't seem that long ago, but in 2017 the USS Fitzgerald ran into a cargo ship 90 miles from Tokyo.

As an example, each dot and arrow represents a ship right now:

So if ISIS or Al Qaeda wanted to sink/severely damage a multi-million dollar US Navy aircraft carrier with thousands of US service men aboard, all they'd have to do is buy an old derelict merchant vessel, fill it with explosives, and wait for a carrier to transit the canal? I know it's a long way around, but transiting via that route seems like a huge risk, especially in that part of the world right now.

^^^

Multi-million might buy the cheap airframe but the carrier itself is multi-billion.

But point taken. Remember what happened to shipping when the Evergreen ran aground. Think what would happen if a carrier sank.

92fstech said it all.

Al Qaeda had to borrow airplanes for 9/11. Do they have money to buy a ship?

I’m assuming transiting the Suez Canal is not simply a matter of just showing up, paying the money, and getting in line. I’d also assume the only ships allowed in while the US Navy is also transiting the canal would be well known and vetted vessels.

Some kind of terrorist attack was actually was my second thought, right after how the hell does a top level highly protected asset like a Carrier let any ship withing a mile without knowing it...

Did they put the Captain in charge that was photographed shooting a rifle with the scope backwards? Perhaps the Sub Captain that ran into an underwater mountain?

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
^^^

Multi-million might buy the cheap airframe but the carrier itself is multi-billion.

But point taken. Remember what happened to shipping when the Evergreen ran aground. Think what would happen if a carrier sank.

I swear I typed billion. Freaking autocorrect or my fat fingers, one or the other.

million ... billion

its all more than I have

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:


million ... billion

Soon you're talking real money.

This article has several photos of crash damage:

https://news.usni.org/2025/02/...-to-port-for-repairs

Excerpt from the article linked above:

“The bow of bulker MV Bekitas-M collided with the starboard quarter of Truman, leaving a small gash in the side of the carrier above the waterline and piercing the hull, according to two Navy officials.

Additionally, the Navy released a photo on Friday showing damage to a sponson to the rear of the starboard aircraft elevator that USNI News understands is in addition to damage to the ship further aft.“

The starboard damage on the aircraft carrier causes me to wonder what the rules of the road are for Naval vessels and large ships are in areas like this.

^^^

Cell phones should not be allowed in any of the spaces related to the functions that prevent those types of accidents.

Tho I'm not qualified to weigh in, it seems that as cell phones contribute to auto accidents, it may not be a big leap to assume similar negative impacts at sea.

And of course, picking personnel who are not the best qualified for the jobs.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
So if ISIS or Al Qaeda wanted to sink/severely damage a multi-million dollar US Navy aircraft carrier with thousands of US service men aboard, all they'd have to do is buy an old derelict merchant vessel, fill it with explosives, and wait for a carrier to transit the canal?

They wouldn’t even have to do that. There would be plenty of opportunity to do damage from shore.

I was on the USS Intrepid when we transited the canal (for the second time) the night before the 1967 war. We were the lead ship in the convoy. Most of the rest of it was stuck until canal reopened in 1975. An Egyptian sub followed us the entire trip. We were told the very last thing anybody wanted was an American carrier stuck in the canal. We barely fit. New carriers would be juicy, slow moving targets.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that choke-points like transiting canals and straits, leave high-value ships like aircraft carriers in a very vulnerable position. Hence, among the handful of reasons why warships are prioritized when going through these narrow areas.

Most American's have little perspective about these maritime issues, thankfully channels like What's Going on with Shipping, are able to provide some insight...as Sal points out, the volume of ship traffic and the congestion around these waterways are extremely challenging for navigation teams onboard ship. Unfortunately, the USN isn't noted for their ship handling acumen and commercial vessels are notorious for over-using their auto-pilot.

They’ll be plenty of time to buff that out after this deployment as old Harry is scheduled for her midlife refueling cycle when she returns so…

The graphics provide A LOT of perspective...this could've been so much worse.

https://x.com/mercoglianos/status/1890755052907733477

From the picture linked above:
“Not to scale!
Does not represent exact angle of strike; orientation of freighter approximate
Conceptual view of collision”