Regarding the collision of a bulk carrier and our aircraft carrier:
How does a ship of that size get this close to the carrier, assuming the strike group was also around?
I'm not saying the bulk carrier should have been lit up, but, back to the first question, how did it get that close?
Remember a couple years ago, two large navy ships were involved in collisions with merchant vessels bad enough that sailors in their bunks got killed? Like you, I was dumbfounded this could happen. Of course, ships are slow to respond to control inputs. I was told once it takes more than a mile to stop a loaded iron ore boat from full speed.
As I read more about the navy collisions later, one explanation was that ships are now controlled by touch screens. If a collision becomes imminent, instead of grabbing an obvious lever which gives tactical feedback, you have to swipe at the fricking touch screen. Sounds like it could be true; and a problem.
Also, on the seas, there is an element of "chicken" that is played with big important ships, regardless of who has right-of-way. Disclaimer: I am not a military pilot. I only pilot some civilian vessels.
It's really worse than simply taking a mile to stop. The reality is that you can draw a semicircle centered on your course when you go to full power reverse and the ship will stop somewhere in that semicircle.
Why do you guys think that ship wasn't blasted up? I have ZERO experience or knowledge of military/civilian ship operations, but wouldn't a non strike group ship NOT be allowed to even move within that range?
I suppose even war ships get pretty close to other traffic in the tight shipping lanes. The warships have a pretty good idea whether another vessel is hostile or not. If there is any blasting to be done, it would be further than at ramming distance.
