I'm interested in the opinion of anyone who has had experience in shipping, as regards to this article:
The USS Fitzgerald Is At Fault. This Is Why. – gCaptain Our son who is a mariner fully believes that despite the U-turn of the container vessel, the Navy ship bears fault along with the container vessel. This article seems to agree with that, citing the COLREGS, the time of the incident and how long the chain of command takes from the bridge when the captain is not present. I remember from our 25 years of sailing that COLREGS state both vessels must take action to avoid a collision, regardless of who has the right of way and who must give way. And failure to keep watch is a fault. ("every modern admiralty court trial of ships colliding has found fault with both ships, even if one is securely anchored!")
You might have to give your email to read the article, but you can unsubscribe immediately. Plus it is a very safe site, and interesting if you have any "water" in your life other than a swimming pool. If you have trouble opening it, go to gcaptain.com and search for Fitzgerald. It's very interesting and gives a lot of information about how merchant vessels are run vs. Navy ships, and how the ships themselves are equipped and what they can do.