USS Philadelphia Collision -- What The Merchant Saw
This Navy Times article has the first statement I've seen from the owners of M/V Yaso (or Yasa) Aysen, the merchant that collided with USS Philadelphia (SSN 690) last month:
"According to a statement issued by the company’s London-based insurer, Yasa Aysen was steaming at 13 knots for the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, following the channel for exiting Bahrain.
"On the bridge, the second officer and a lookout were on navigation and watch duties. At around 2 a.m., a “faint white light” was spotted ahead of the ship. At the time, nothing had registered on either of the ship’s radars, which were both operating at the time.
"Reacting to the light, the ship turned hard to starboard, and signaled on the ship’s whistle. Less than a minute later, the ship and Philadelphia collided. Entangled by the collision, the two vessels were able to separate about 90 minutes later, and both returned to Bahrain under their own power for damage inspections.
"In Bahrain, Yasa Aysen was put in dry-dock for inspections and repairs for damage to the bulbous bow at the front of the ship. Following repairs, the ship re-entered service on Sept. 24."
I suppose this account is accurate, from the perspective of the merchant sailors. The horizon can be pretty dusty in the Gulf at night, and I suppose that had there been a bad sandstorm, it might have been hard to see the sub's light. The report that the merchant turned sharply a minute before the collsion probably indicates that the ship's wouldn't have collided had the merchant stayed on course... I'm sure they moved by more than 200 feet to the right off their original course at that time (13 knots means over 400 yards in a minute; about 70 yards to the degree; so if the ship had averaged 1 degree more to the left during that time, they would have passed astern of the Philadelphia). I'm wondering how the Philly maneuvered; normally, you're supposed to turn right if you're in danger of collision, but this situation is one of the Contact Coordinator "oolies" where you don't turn right...
PigBoatSailor has an interesting "compare and contrast" between this article and another one in the same issue of Navy Times, concerning the aftermath of the collision between USS McFaul and USS Winston Churchill I discussed earlier.
Staying at PD...
posted by Bubblehead at 12:27 AM
3 Comments:
A single white light would indicate the stern light. If it were a bow light you'd also see the green starboard running light.
Now I can understand the instinct to turn to starboard, this is the one situation where if you are going faster then the boat ahead, you are actually are creating an overtaking situation.
It sounds like it was a crossing situation which the sub thought it could pass ahead of the merchant, and probably would have, but it left little room for error on the part of the merchant. Not very good judgement on the part of the sub crew. Even had she cleared it would probably been by less than 400 yards. (my assumption is that the subs radar was operating.)
The other fly in the ointment is the sub should have heard the merchant vessels horn, and by then seen it's running lights. He would have seen the white bow light and the port red running light, and at that point turned hard to port. (I have no idea how hard a sub can turn on the surface)
It almost sounds like this was all acted out visually, and that the radar on the sub was not operating. Otherwise I can't understand the sub ever letting that merchant ship getting that close. Just slow down and let the merchant pass ahead of it.
10/07/2005 4:57 PM
Sorry for the double post, but have been thinking about it, and while your instinct is to turn to starboard, when you see a single white light you are overtaking. So you have the obligation to prevent the collision.
The more I think about it full astern is the only thing I can think of as a response.
Anyone?
10/07/2005 6:04 PM
I agree with anony. To have a surprise contact ahead of the ship within 400 yards and have no bearing rate observed you can not know which way to turn. Even if the light was a few points to port it is not enough info to do any thing but slow and blow the whistle and hope its a small vessel that can accelerate fast and get out of the way. But many of us qualified ship drivers would have probably reacted with right rudder. My earlier comment about the relative speed of the two vessels being small since they stuck together upon collision leads me to the same conclusion as Bubblehead's, that the Philly had to have some stbd angle on the bow at the time observed by the mechantman and could have cleared if the M/V had not turned right. But if Philly was ,say, going 8 kts, the 1 minute to collision puts the original distance apart at something a lot less than 400yds more like 200 and thats almost unbelievable not to see a light before that except in fog or a sand storm. It makes a good mental exercise that I have enjoyed but I long to know what series of errors could possibly have contributed to this mess. Its likely to be one of the "But for the grace of God there go I" situations.
10/07/2005 10:04 PM
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