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As a bar pilot -- the very pinnacle of civilian sea-going careers -- and a Naval Reserve officer, this guy is brutally honest, but uniquely qualified. Very good read from someone with decades on both sides of the fence. I've bullet-pointed his points below if you don't want to read the article, but you should. It's very good.
1. Today’s Navy seems to have ignored the need to learn the basics of seamanship.
2. There are far too many personnel on Navy ships.
3. The Navy seems to be more concerned with political correctness and social responsibility training than with instruction in seamanship.
4. The Navy culture also relies on the use of many assistants.
5. Stealth mode is great in times of war, but in the real world, all ships must obey the International Rules of the Nautical Road.
1. Today’s Navy seems to have ignored the need to learn the basics of seamanship.
2. There are far too many personnel on Navy ships.
3. The Navy seems to be more concerned with political correctness and social responsibility training than with instruction in seamanship.
4. The Navy culture also relies on the use of many assistants.
5. Stealth mode is great in times of war, but in the real world, all ships must obey the International Rules of the Nautical Road.
The "Navy Way" is the Wrong Course – gCaptain
Posted from gcaptain.com
Naval/Maritime History
Maritime
Sailors
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 3
5
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Agree wholeheartedly with points 1, 3 and 5.
Point 2 - there is a very big difference between a civilian ship and a warship. A warship needs bodies, and in the case of the DDG they were supposed to be manned at 350+. They are manned around 225. In fact, the results from the MCC investigation specifically points to manning as a primary driver for the accident. In a fight, we need bodies to fight the war and repair damage to stay in the fight. If the job were simply get to point A to B, then yes they are way over manned.
Point 4 - the assistant culture is how you get the training wheels training before you take them off. Go onto any US Navy warship and you know the role of each person, as they are standard.
But, I will say, the best lesson I ever learned was from a salty old CO who told me " Son, if the bearing stays the same, and the range is decreasing, you are going to have a very bad day!"
Point 2 - there is a very big difference between a civilian ship and a warship. A warship needs bodies, and in the case of the DDG they were supposed to be manned at 350+. They are manned around 225. In fact, the results from the MCC investigation specifically points to manning as a primary driver for the accident. In a fight, we need bodies to fight the war and repair damage to stay in the fight. If the job were simply get to point A to B, then yes they are way over manned.
Point 4 - the assistant culture is how you get the training wheels training before you take them off. Go onto any US Navy warship and you know the role of each person, as they are standard.
But, I will say, the best lesson I ever learned was from a salty old CO who told me " Son, if the bearing stays the same, and the range is decreasing, you are going to have a very bad day!"
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In response to #2, there are not to many people on warships, you need that many people to fight the ship. There are to many people manned up on the bridge though, especially for special evolutions. SN Greg Wright
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I agree to 1 to 4, but 5 is flexible. OPSEC requires non-compliance with Rules of the Road. And, normal operations also require non-compliance. All this assumes that the correct choices are made when breaking the Rules of the Road. USCG tries to sneak around as much as they can doing things directly violating the Rules of the Road. Chasing and boarding vessels isn't addressed in the Rules.
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SN Greg Wright
Well it's codified in the Rules, LT. Paraphrasing: "Nothing in these rules is intended to prevent the use of common sense in avoiding collisions." In other words, you can break the rules, but you'd better be right.
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LT Brad McInnis
When I was a young OOD, I once asked my CO why we didn't turn on AIS while we were in congested waters (pulling in and out of port, traffic sep schemes).... Pretty sure my Co turned a shade of red I hadn't seen before or since. The OPSEC issue, in my opinion, goes away when you are in sight of other ships and in congested or constrained waters....
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LTJG Richard Bruce
Once the AIS is turned on, anyone in the world knows where the ship is at real time. Shipping functioned well for thousands of years without AIS. Just screen printed Navy Base Norfolk. Notice what is not being shown? Think the harbor is empty of warships? With AIS, there is no need to place spies in the harbor. Someone in their PJ's can report ship movements in their parent's basement. The small circles are harbor tugs. Bigger circles are not warships.
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SN Greg Wright
LTJG Richard Bruce - Shipping did function without it for millennium. But it exists now. Would you throw it away? Here's the thing. A Navy ship transiting a congested area is NOT stealthy. All anyone has to do is look out their windows. So it makes sense to use AIS in those situations.
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