North Korea has decided to pile on in regards to the US Navy’s recent high-profile collisions:
The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters August 21, 2017. North Korea mocked the deadly incident in its latest threats. Ahmad Masood/Reuters
North Korea has used the recent fatal incidents involving two U.S. warships in its latest anti-American diatribe.
An article published in several state-controlled North Korean publications on Thursday derided the collisions involving the USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald, which resulted in a combined death toll of 17 U.S. Navy sailors, and described them as a foreshadowing of America’s own destruction.
“When the American empire is sinking into the bottom of sea with the Aegis ship, strategic rockets soared into the space in the East, shaking the world with great thunder and spouting grenadine fire,” the article read, attempting to draw a link between Pyongyang’s missile tests and the accidents. (………….)
The article goes on to lecture the U.S. on philosophy, quoting an Ancient Greek aphorism about wisdom being derived from the acknowledgment of one’s ignorance.
“‘Know thyself,’” the article read, before adding: “The U.S. should realize that if it disregards this warning of history and behaves recklessly, threatening peace in the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia, the U.S. mainland will be wrecked tomorrow just like the Aegis destroyer wrecked today.” [Newsweek]
I served 20 in the Navy, with my first 2 ships being 7th Fleet combatants. I’ve been in and out of these ports, standing lookout and other bridge watches.
Stumbled across this article, and as a surface sailor, the conclusions are as accurate as they are concerning. https://m.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2017-08/collisions-did-culture-trump-technology
I started looking for a pithy quote that might sum up the article, but nothing really leapt out at me.
Overall, the article said that Surface Sailors had developed a Military Mindset, valuing propmt obedience over thinking things through, and lack of training in Seamanship.
Different processes are followed by submarines, who with a smaller window on the world require more thinking about what is going on around them. This is in contrast to a surface ship that may “see” everything, but not be able to pick out the real threat over the data overload of their systems.
“There is a systemic cultural wasteland in the SWO community right now, especially at the department head level,” said retired Navy Capt. Rick Hoffman, who commanded the cruiser Hue City and the frigate DeWert and who, after retirement, taught SWOs ship handling in Mayport.
“We do not put a premium on being good mariners,” Hoffman said. “We put a premium on being good inspection takers and admin weenies.”
One of the dangers of technology is depending too much on the electronics, and not enough on Seaman Jones standing on the fantail.
One “sea story” that supposedly happened a few months before I got onboard was that the aft watch reported a biplane coming up from astern. The Officer of the Deck blew it off, as there was no radar return. Aft lookout reported it a second time, then the biplane flew up the port side, flew a circle in front of the ship, then back down the starboard side. Word was, the CO flipped out on the OOD. “Why the Hell is that man standing back there, if you’re not going to listen to him?!?! Should I just secure the watch?”
Yeah, the Captain was quite irate with that LT.
Anyways, I’m no longer thinking if it was a hacked computer, and more concerned that the surface ship culture is more worried about CYA than Seamanship.
ChickenHead
6 years ago
Everyone would like to blame “hacking” but the reality is 8 years of promotions for people who made the best programs against alcohol or in support of women, gays, and trannies, rather than good seamanship.
Bonus observation: Before this incident, I thought John McCain was only a train wreck.
Ole Tanker
6 years ago
If I was a sailor, you better damn well bet I’ll be sleeping on the deck from now on out!
More evidence that north Korea had something to do with these two incidents.
Not necessarily.
I served 20 in the Navy, with my first 2 ships being 7th Fleet combatants. I’ve been in and out of these ports, standing lookout and other bridge watches.
Stumbled across this article, and as a surface sailor, the conclusions are as accurate as they are concerning.
https://m.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2017-08/collisions-did-culture-trump-technology
I started looking for a pithy quote that might sum up the article, but nothing really leapt out at me.
Overall, the article said that Surface Sailors had developed a Military Mindset, valuing propmt obedience over thinking things through, and lack of training in Seamanship.
Different processes are followed by submarines, who with a smaller window on the world require more thinking about what is going on around them. This is in contrast to a surface ship that may “see” everything, but not be able to pick out the real threat over the data overload of their systems.
Another article:
http://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/08/27/navy-swos-a-culture-in-crisis/
This one did have a pithy comment:
One of the dangers of technology is depending too much on the electronics, and not enough on Seaman Jones standing on the fantail.
One “sea story” that supposedly happened a few months before I got onboard was that the aft watch reported a biplane coming up from astern. The Officer of the Deck blew it off, as there was no radar return. Aft lookout reported it a second time, then the biplane flew up the port side, flew a circle in front of the ship, then back down the starboard side. Word was, the CO flipped out on the OOD. “Why the Hell is that man standing back there, if you’re not going to listen to him?!?! Should I just secure the watch?”
Yeah, the Captain was quite irate with that LT.
Anyways, I’m no longer thinking if it was a hacked computer, and more concerned that the surface ship culture is more worried about CYA than Seamanship.
Everyone would like to blame “hacking” but the reality is 8 years of promotions for people who made the best programs against alcohol or in support of women, gays, and trannies, rather than good seamanship.
Bonus observation: Before this incident, I thought John McCain was only a train wreck.
If I was a sailor, you better damn well bet I’ll be sleeping on the deck from now on out!