How does a destroyer, with vastly great speed, maneuverability, and the best radar money can buy, get hit by a tanker? And this is the second such incident this year. On the first one, the Navy has relieved the captain and the executive officer of duty. They never have said just how the accident happened. Admiral Dan Gallery once wrote "Steer well clear of any merchie, lest he decide to liven up your day by ramming you." I guess modern destroyer skippers don't read Dan Gallery any more.
Could it be the destroyer thought he had the right of way over the tanker, and expected the tanker to change course to avoid him? It doesn't work that way, big tankers don't maneuver all that well and if they are in a narrow channel, they won't maneuver at all lest they run aground. Grounding a big tanker costs a lot more than running down anything, so the tanker skippers just plow on ahead. You would think a US Navy destroyer skipper would understand this, but you never know.
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