US destroyer collides with container ship: 3 injured, 7 still missing

The damage of the right side of the USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, Saturday, June 16, 2017. The U.S. Navy says the USS Fitzgerald suffered damage below the water line on its starboard side after it collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant ship. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)

The damage of Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal is seen off Izu Oshima, Japan, after it had collided with the USS Fitzgerald southwest of Yokusuka, Japan, Saturday, June 16, 2017. The U.S. Navy says the USS Fitzgerald suffered damage below the water line on its starboard side after it collided with the Philippine-flagged merchant ship. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)

First, note the photographs above. You can see the damage to the navy destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, is significant whilst the damage to the container ship ACX Crystal is minor. These two photographs provide a massive amount of information to an attentive observer regarding the tragedy, with only one conclusion. The OOD/Captain of the USS Fitzgerald is directly responsible for the loss of those seven sailors and will likely face a courts martial. In my opinion criminal charges should be considered.

First, the story from AP.org:

US, JAPAN SEARCH FOR 7 NAVY SAILORS, PUZZLE OVER SHIP CRASH

BY EUGENE HOSHIKO AND KOJI UEDA

YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — U.S. and Japanese vessels and aircraft searched Saturday for seven American sailors who were missing after their Navy destroyer collided before dawn with a container ship four times its size off the coast of Japan.

The USS Fitzgerald was back at its home port in Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo by sunset Saturday, its crew lined up on deck. The Philippine-flagged container ship was berthed at Tokyo’s Oi wharf, where officials began questioning crew members about the cause of the nighttime crash.

After helping stabilize the USS Fitzgerald, the destroyer USS Dewey joined other American and Japanese vessels and aircraft in the search for the missing sailors.

At least three other Navy sailors were injured in the collision.

Now, some damning facts.

Examining the photographs, you can see major damage to the USS Fitzgerald’s starboard side, almost amidships and directly under the bridge. The corresponding damage to the ACX Crystal is at the port bow where there is a remarkable mismatch in deck height.

That in and of itself tells me that the USS Fitzgerald turned across the path of the container ship, the container ship not at a 90-degree angle but at an obtuse angle to the USS Fitzgerald. That tells me avoidance was likely under way but initiated too late by the naval vessel.

Absent war or other factors it would be the primary duty of the smaller vessel, the USS Fitzgerald, to avoid collision. Because of navigational issues on the part of the container ship ACX Crystal with regard to handling characteristics — that is to say, its inability to stop or maneuver in any sort of rapid or noteworthy manner involving distance or time — the maritime “rules of the road” provide favor to the container ship. Particularly damning is this.

Conditions were clear at the time of the collision, though Yutaka Saito of the coast guard said the area is particularly busy with sea traffic.

That information becomes critical when one reads this paragraph.

The U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement that the crash damaged two berthing spaces, a machinery room and the radio room. Most of the more than 200 sailors aboard would have been asleep in their berths at the time of the pre-dawn crash.

The ACX Crystal possesses what is termed a “bulbous bow” under the waterline, which exists to smooth the flow of water around the hull and minimize drag thus yielding a slightly greater speed, range, stability in rougher weather and fuel efficiency. I posit it’s not impossible that the bulbous bow of the ACX Crystal may have impacted the USS Fitzgerald under the waterline and directly into the berthing areas. I submit the missing sailors may have been crushed inside the naval ship and/or sucked directly out to sea from the resulting impact.

The USS Fitzgerald’s captain, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was airlifted early Saturday to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka and was in stable condition with a head injury, the Navy said. Two other crew members suffered cuts and bruises and were evacuated. It was unclear how many others may have been hurt.

This suggests to me Captain Benson was on the bridge and in full charge of the navy ship and not an OOD or Officer of the Deck. It makes me wonder why the captain was on the bridge that early in the morning (2:30 AM local time) unless he was awakened by personnel due to calamitous and emergent conditions.

Some very important comparisons. The ACX Crystal is a Phillipines-flagged cargo container vessel built in 2008, working for the Japanese NYK Line. It is a 29,060 ton ship with a dead weight tonnage of 39,565 tons. It is 730 feet long with a capacity of 2,858 containers though at the time of collision it was carrying 1,080 containers. Maximum speed is 25 knots or 28 mph. In such a high traffic area the ship was likely not steaming at such a speed as the captain would be aware of its inherent handling deficiencies in such conditions. MarineTraffic.com indicates the ship had been traveling at between 16 and 18 knots. There were no injuries whatsoever on the ACX Crystal, which also says much about the overall incident and nature of ship dynamics.

In contrast, the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer launched in 1994 with a full displacement of 9,000 tons at a length of 505 feet, with a maximum speed greater than 30 knots, or 34 mph. It has the AN/SPY-1D 3D Radar, AN/SPS-67 (V)2 Surface Search Radar or AN/SPS-73(V)12 Surface Search Radar system on board. Suffice to say these are more sophisticated systems than those of a merchant vessel.

Some amateur marine enthusiasts are indicating the ACX Crystal may have deviated from its original course twice.

Still and all, as per the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, the onus for avoidance was on the USS Fitzgerald due to a wide variety of factors to include ability to avoid, vessel dynamics and ship handling.

The situation immediately brings to my mind the 2001 collision between the Japanese fishing training boat Ehime Maru and the USS Greeneville, a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, when the sub surfaced underneath the boat during an emergency ballast blow surfacing maneuver demonstration for some VIP civilians on board. In all, nine civilian crew members were killed on the Ehime Maru, including four high school students.

The captain and applicable crew of the USS Greeneville received non-judicial punishment.

UPDATED INFORMATION ON SUNDAY:

Two points: first, from the NavyTimes.com:

Navy search and rescue crews have discovered the bodies of seven missing sailors from the destroyer Fitzgerald in flooded berthing compartments, two defense officials confirmed to Navy Times.

Second, from the WSJ.com:

In a period of seconds, a 29,000 ton cargo ship loaded with containers plowed into its right side, crushing a large section of the destroyer’s main structure, including the captain’s cabin and sleeping quarters for 116 sailors below the waterline. Seawater flooded in through a large gash.

As the crew scrambled to save themselves and the ship, seven sailors didn’t make it out of the berthing area. Their bodies were recovered by divers after the ship crawled to the port of Yokosuka.

Badly injured, the captain, Bryce Benson, escaped from his cabin. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he was receiving emergency treatment on Sunday before being questioned.

This now clearly indicates the sailors were trapped or crushed and drowned down in their berths below the waterline, and would also account for the injuries to the captain as his cabin was specifically affected as well. Therefore we now know that another officer, not the captain, was OOD during the collision at night.

I suggest this will become a criminal proceeding. I cannot think of a ready excuse for a situation such as this occurring in the modern US Navy absent terrible negligence.

BZ

BZ’s Berserk Bobcat Saloon, “The Aftermath,” Thursday, June 15th, 2017

My thanks to the SHR Media Network for allowing me to broadcast in their studio and over their air twice weekly, Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as appear on the Sack Heads Radio Show™ each Wednesday evening.

Today’s was a conflicted show. On the heels of the terrible Alexandria, VA shooting of Steve Scalise by a Leftist literally out for Republican blood, the mood of America and in the Saloon is somber.

The phone line was also open for one and all; go to SHRMedia.com, get into the chatroom, acquire the phone number and call in live. The line will likely be open on subsequent shows. You see, there are benefits to being in the chatroom plus, of course, there are great people discussing all sorts of topics there; you’re soon to make more friends.

Tonight in the Saloon:

  • Threat of “dirty bomb” shuts down Port of Charleston involving the Maersk Memphis;
  • NYPD to be forced to reveal its terror tactics if NYC Council passes bill;
  • Fox News has removed its motto “fair and balanced;” why is that?
  • DHS rescinds Obama era policy protecting illegal immigrant parents;
  • Russia probe exposes Loretta Lynch; blowback is looming for the Demorats;
  • Independent counsel Mueller expands the investigation into “Trump obstruction”;
  • We have callers and a discussion ensues;
  • The Scalise shooting reveals the pervasive violence endemic to Leftists nationally;
  • Kel Fritzi is coming back as special guest next Tuesday, June 20th; be there!

If you care to listen to the show in Spreaker, please click on start.

Listen to “BZ’s Berserk Bobcat Saloon, “The Aftermath,” Thursday, June 15th, 2017″ on Spreaker.

If you care to watch the show on YouTube, please likewise click on start.

Please join me, the Bloviating Zeppelin (on Twitter @BZep and on Gab.ai @BZep), every Tuesday and Thursday night on the SHR Media Network from 11 PM to 1 AM Eastern and 8 PM to 10 PM Pacific, at the Berserk Bobcat Saloon — where the speech is free but the drinks are not.

As ever, thank you so kindly for listening, commenting, and interacting in the chat room or listening later via podcast.

Want to listen to all the Berserk Bobcat Saloon archives in podcast? Go here. Want to watch the past shows on YouTube? Please visit the SHR Media Network YouTube channel here.

BZ

P.S.
Another very special guest arriving next Thursday in the Saloon! Who could it be?

 

Open season on GOP, Conservatives, Trump

After all, the former US Attorney General whilst in office, Loretta Lynch, said that blood had to be spilled.

And so it was on Wednesday, June 14th, when a man who quite publicly, vocally and vehemently said “it’s time to destroy Trump & Co.” decided to spill blood.

Filled with the vigor of the Righteous Left and emboldened by recent overt acts and displays of violence against Conservatives, Trump and the GOP, a man decided he was going to kill as many Republicans as possible on a baseball field.

From the LATimes.com:

House majority whip, several others, shot at congressional baseball practice

by David Laufer and Michael Memoli

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) was shot at a Republican congressional baseball practice Wednesday morning by a gunman who appeared to have targeted members of Congress.

Police in Alexandria, Va., located just outside of Washington, D.C., said they were investigating a “multiple shooting” and a suspect was in custody. Five wounded people were being taken to area hospitals for treatment, the police said.

Two police officers and two or three congressional staff members were among the wounded, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said on CNN.

The shooter “was going after elected officials,” Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) told CNN from the scene of the shooting.  The location of the congressional practice session, in preparation for an annual charity baseball game, was well known in the area, he noted.

Senator Jeff Flake from Arizona, present at the time of the shooting, had this description.

Scalise, 51, the third-ranking Republican in the House, was standing on second base, fielding balls during batting practice when the shooting began, Flake said.

Reuters writes today about the condition, today, of Steve Scalise.

U.S. congressman undergoes another operation after shooting

by Susan Cornwell and David Morgan

U.S. Representative Steve Scalise underwent a third operation on Thursday, a day after suffering serious wounds when a man who had expressed anger toward President Donald Trump opened fire on Republican lawmakers at a baseball practice, a source familiar with his condition said.

Scalise, a congressman from Louisiana who is the No. 3 House Republican, suffered injuries to internal organs, broken bones and severe bleeding after being shot in the left hip on a baseball field in Alexandria where he and other lawmakers were practicing for a charity baseball game.

Scalise, 51, and three others were wounded when a man identified as James Hodgkinson, 66, from the St. Louis suburb of Belleville, Illinois opened fire on the lawmakers. The others wounded were a police officer, a congressional aide and a lobbyist.

The U.S. Capitol Police said Hodgkinson used a 9 mm handgun and a 7.62-caliber rifle in the shooting, and traces run by investigators showed he evidently acquired the weapons legally.

“Both were purchased by the shooter from federal firearms licensees,” the Capitol Police said in a statement. “We currently have no evidence to suggest that the purchases were not lawful.”

Hodgkinson, who had a history of posting angry messages against Trump and other Republicans on social media, died after being wounded by police.

We also find this about the shooter, from Breitbart.com:

Report: James T. Hodgkinson, Shooting Suspect, Belonged to ‘Terminate the Republican Party’ Facebook Group

by Joel B. Pollak

James T. Hodgkinson, the suspect in the shooting attack on a Republican baseball practice on Wednesday morning, was reportedly a member of a group called “Terminate the Republican Party.”

Hodgkinson wounded four, including House Majority Whip Steve Scales (R-LA), before succumbing to his injuries sustained in gunfire exchanges with police.

The Belleville News-Democrat, a newspaper in Hodgkinson’s former hometown of Belleville, Illinois, reports:

 The shooter who was killed during gunfire at practice for a congressional baseball game Wednesday morning was from Belleville.

The shooter was James T. Hodgkinson of Belleville, who belonged to a number of anti-Republican groups, including one called “Terminate the Republican Party.”

The Facebook group reportedly celebrated the killing.

This should, in retrospect, come as no shock to those persons who are thinking clearly and have been cognizant of their surroundings for roughly the past year. That is to say, political violence has quite primarily been the result of Leftist elements, both organized en masse and singly such as this event.

The response on the Left has consisted of the same old: stop guns stop guns too many guns. Then came the wildly-inflated statistics, from Virginia Governor Terry Macauliffe.

Terry McAuliffe: ‘We Lose 93 Million Americans a Day to Gun Violence’

by AWR Hawkins

While speaking to reporters about the shooting in Alexandria, Virginia, Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) said now is not the time to talk gun control but we must admit “we lose 93 million Americans a day to gun violence.”

Then there was this loving, tolerant and caring response on Twitter by the Huffington Post’s Jesse Benn directly following the shooting. From GotNews.com:

BREAKING: @HuffPost Contributor @JesseBenn Endorses Shooting of House Majority Whip @SteveScalise

by Charles C. Johnson

A Huffington Post contributor endorsed the severe wounding of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise at the hands of radicalized, Rachel Maddow-loving, Bernie Sanders-supporting shooter, James T. Hodgkinson.

There was also this, an email sent to Republican Claudia Tenney directly after the shooting of Scalise, from TheHill.com:

GOP rep. received threatening email with subject line ‘One down, 216 to go…’ after lawmaker shooting

by Olivia Beavers

The office of Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) received a threatening email with the subject line “One down, 216 to go…,” shortly after a shooter opened fire on GOP lawmakers who were at a congressional baseball practice, according to her office.

“Did you NOT expect this? When you take away ordinary peoples very lives in order to pay off the wealthiest among us, your own lives are forfeit. Certainly, your souls and morality were lost long before. Good riddance,” the email said.

Let us remember that Demorats have already called for violence and “blood in the streets.”

MIKA BRZEZINSKI, CO-HOST “MORNING JOE”:

 

“So, broad question about the future of the Democratic Party, especially given your firsthand experience with what we’ve all been through. There’s so much going on here that we clearly see, you know, places where you — we can criticize what the administration is doing, but how does the party rebuild? How do you prevent overreach in a situation like this? How do you prevent a continuation of the bubble in a situation like this, and how does the party reclaim its reach across the country while fighting these battles?”

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA):

“…So, the way we get outside the bubble is we take advantage of this tremendous public outcry against the administration. What we’ve got to do is fight in Congress, fight in the courts, fight in the streets, fight online, fight at the ballot box, and now there’s the momentum to be able to do this. And we’re not afraid of the popular outcry, we’re energized by it and that’s going to help us do our job and do it better.”

What we’ve got to do is fight in Congress, fight in the courts, fight in the streets, fight online, fight at the ballot box, and now there’s the momentum to be able to do this. And we’re not afraid of the popular outcry, we’re energized by it and that’s going to help us do our job and do it better.

In reference to that, the DailyKos wrote: “VA-Sen: Tim Kaine (D) Calls For “Fight In The Streets” Against Trump, So Lets Push Him To Fight”.

What about the calm, enlightened, cooperative, unifying and tolerant speech of DNC Chair Tom Perez?

There are, naturally, following threats to the families of Republicans, from Politico.com:

‘This is how we’re going to kill your wife’

Police blanket a town hall by GOP Rep. Tom Garrett after a series of ‘credible’ threats.

by Kyle Cheney

MONETA, Va. — “This is how we’re going to kill your wife.”

That’s the message Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va.) said he received in a series of recent threats that targeted him, his family and even, at one point, his dog. And it’s the reason, he said, that his town hall here in this sleepy Virginia community on Tuesday night was ringed by law enforcement.

When Garrett took the stage at Eastlake Community Church, the walls in the 300-seat room were lined with security — some uniformed and some in plainclothes. The presence was noticeable all night, as Garrett aides enforced rules to keep audience members from disrupting the event.

Though the town hall proceeded without significant incident — one woman was removed by police for repeated disruptions — security personnel made their presence felt, approaching hecklers throughout the evening and standing watch at all entrances and exits. The high security presence, Garrett said later, was the result of threats that Capitol Police, state police and intelligence officials “have deemed to be credible and real.”

This is not just an emerging trend, it is a pattern, as recognized by Newt Gingrich.

Tucker Carlson speaks to Mark Steyn regarding the violence and hate/labeling rhetoric of the Leftists.

Concurrently, this is the most cogent and logical thing I’ve heard issue from Paul Ryan’s mouth in close to a year.

Will Ryan come to understand how his prior pablum, conciliatory, bipartisan and compromising speech has led to this current state? Unlikely. The GOP gives, the Demorats take and spew venom and violence.

Completely unreasonable speech from the Left also accompanies this blather, from Breitbart.com:

Rep. Barbara Lee: ‘I Don’t Agree with States’ Rights’ Because Trump Does

by Penny Starr

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) said on Tuesday that she does not agree with states’ rights because President Donald Trump believes in restoring states’ authority on a wide range of issues, including education and health care insurance markets.

Lee made the remarks at the left-wing Center for American Progress in Washington, DC, where she referenced states rights as it applies to Trump’s decision this month to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate change agreement, a move she claims would hurt the U.S. economy.

No states rights. Simply to be a contrarian no matter the idiocy or illegality.

You know, call me wacky, but this discourse from the Left appears to clearly contain violent language to me. And not just from the Political Left. From the so-called “Celebrity Left” as well. Let’s examine this issue. Let’s look at some examples.

1. Shakespeare in the Park Stabs ‘Trump’ to Death in Performance of ‘Julius Caesar’
New York City’s Public Theater staged a production of Julius Caesar during its 2017 summer program, but with a twist on the classic play — Caesar looked just like Donald Trump, with a business suit and tie and a familiar blond hair-do. As happens in the play, the Trump-like Caesar is eventually brutally stabbed to death by his associates in the Senate.

The character’s similarity to Trump sparked outrage, and sponsors Bank of America and Delta Air Lines pulled their funding from the theater.

2. Kathy Griffin Holds President Trump’s Severed Head
Please check my post here about that event, where I covered the issue in massive detail.

3. Robert De Niro: “I’d Like to Punch Him in the Face”
The Oscar-winning actor participated in a voter registration PSA during the 2016 presidential race, but was filmed going off on Trump in a monologue during an outtake.

“He’s a punk, he’s a dog, he’s a pig, he’s a con, he’s a bullshit artist, a mutt who doesn’t know what he’s talking about, doesn’t do his homework, doesn’t care, thinks he’s gaming society, doesn’t pay his taxes,” the 73-year-old Godfather star said in the clip.

“He’s an embarrassment to this country,” he added. “He talks [about] how he wants to punch people in the face. I’d like to punch him in the face.”

4David Simon: “Pick Up a Goddamn Brick” if Trump Fires Robert Mueller
The creator of the HBO crime drama The Wire reacted to rumors that the president had considered firing the special counsel appointed to oversee the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, by suggesting that Americans “pick up a goddamn brick” if the president followed through.

“If Donald Trump fires Robert Mueller and is allowed to do so, pick up a goddamn brick. That’s all that’s left to you,” Simon tweeted June 12.

The writer-producer later denied his tweet was an incitement to violence.

5. Joss Whedon: “I Want a Rhino to Fuck Paul Ryan to Death”
Bit of an oxymoron, that one. The 52-year-old Avengers director — who released a star-studded PSA in support of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 race — took to Twitter in January to wish an untimely and unfortunate end to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI).

“Violence solves nothing. I want a rhino to fuck @SpeakerRyan to death with its horn because it’s FUNNY, not because he’s a #GOPmurderbro,” Whedon tweeted.

Shortly after the November 8 election, the director tweeted that Trump “CANNOT be allowed a term in office.”

I could go on and on and on with comments made by Cher, Micky Rourke, Lea DeLaria, rappers Snoop Dog, Everlast and YG, Marilyn Manson, Larry Wilmore, Stephen Colbert, Sarah Silverman, Ashley Judd, Madonna, et al.

Then there’s everyone else, as I illustrated in detail via my November 12th blog post wherein Leftists of all stripes were openly calling for Trump’s assassination on social media.

An interesting point about that post. Persons have asked me, “BZ, why not just copy those Tweets and paste them into your article instead of making photos of each one?” Easy answer: because I’ve had many, many Tweets disappear into the ozone. When I make a JPEG out of a Tweet, they are immured forever.

Paul Joseph Watson makes a nice overall summary here.

The Left makes hyperbolic attacks because they cannot win on fact-based issues. Leftists “do not want to hear thoughtful disagreement.” They do not wish to hear any disagreement at all.

This just in, from Fox59.com:

Several shots fired at truck flying ‘Make America Great Again’ flag on I-465

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana State Police say shots were fired at a truck carrying a “Make America Great Again” flag and an American flag on eastbound I-465 Tuesday.

Officers believe the shots were fired from a newer white 4-door Chevrolet Malibu with a Louisiana plate near Emerson Avenue around 4 p.m.

The victim and a witness informed police that the Malibu pulled up next to the pickup truck, a passenger held a handgun out of the window and then a male fired several shots.

I am afraid, folks, that this is just the beginning.

People are talking about some sort of civil war. I’d rather call it a societal insurrection, societal chaos because, at this point, I have no idea what form it will take.

But it is coming. And it will be unpleasant.

“I AM PUSHBACK.”

BZ

 

BZ’s Berserk Bobcat Saloon, Tuesday, June 13th, 2017

My thanks to the SHR Media Network for allowing me to broadcast in their studio and over their air twice weekly, Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as appear on the Sack Heads Radio Show™ each Wednesday evening.

For the first time I opened up the phones for calls from listeners. I received three but only two got through. Thanks to Mike and Joe for their calls; there will be more open line shows, of course.

Tonight in the Saloon:

  • Pretty easy to deduce: Sessions and Comey;
  • Sound cuts aplenty;
  • An exquisite announcement about upcoming Thursday shows in the Saloon;

If you care to listen to the show in Spreaker, please click on start.

Listen to “BZ’s Berserk Bobcat Saloon, Tuesday, June 13th, 2017” on Spreaker.

If you care to watch the show on YouTube, please click on start.

New programming note: beginning this Thursday, June 15th, Dan Butcher of High Plains Pundit fame will be featured as a regular guest every Thursday night here in the Saloon. I am pleased to welcome Dan to the show because he himself is such a stellar media individual. You can find him here at High Plains Pundit, here at High Plains Talk Radio, here on Facebook, and here on Twitter.

Please join me, the Bloviating Zeppelin (on Twitter @BZep and on Gab.ai @BZep), every Tuesday and Thursday night on the SHR Media Network from 11 PM to 1 AM Eastern and 8 PM to 10 PM Pacific, at the Berserk Bobcat Saloon — where the speech is free but the drinks are not.

As ever, thank you so kindly for listening, commenting, and interacting in the chat room or listening later via podcast.

BZ