Pentagon Condemns Russian Conduct after Warship’s Near-Collision with U.S. Cruiser

This whole incident is nothing but a dick measuring contest between two navy captains.

 

The vessel being overtaken has the right of way, even if it is under sail and this causes inconvenience or delay for the overtaking vessel.

 

How about something that is not "hypothesis". The Pentagon lies on a regular basis and is engaged in creation of propaganda as one of its prime mandates.

 

I'm coming up empty on my searches. Have you found images to support the Russian version? Everything that I have seen is inconclusive. The video and the photos start way too late.

This picture appears to support the US version of the story, but I can't say that it's definitive. Look at the wake from the Russian ship. If you trace it back, it looks like it made a hard left in order to head at the US ship.



The photos must have come from the US helicopter. So, it obviously aborted its landing.

 

The Handbook of Nautical Rules lists as the International Maritime Organization Rule 15:

When two power-driven vessels are crossing so as to involve risk of collision, the vessel which has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way and shall, if the circumstances admit, avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel.
The book explains further:

Rule 16 says:

Every vessel which is directed to keep out of the way of another vessel shall, so far as possible, take early and substantial action to keep well clear.
and Rule 17:

Where one of two vessels is to keep out of the way the other shall keep her course and speed.

It is evident from the picture that the U.S. navy cruiser had the Russian destroyer on its starboard side and that both ships were on a collision course. It was therefore the U.S. ship that had the duty to 'take early and substantial action' to keep out of the way and that it had to avoid crossing ahead of the Russian vessel. The Russian ship correctly kept its speed and course until the situation required a last-minute maneuver to avoid an imminent collision.

 

Yep, dick measuring contest. It seems to me Navy captains didn’t learn from last years collisions - sometimes you should just yield.

 

"13. Overtaking

Notwithstanding anything contained in the Rules ... ... an overtaking vessel must keep out of the way of the vessel being overtaken. "Overtaking" means approaching another vessel at more than 22.5 degrees abaft[18] her beam, i.e., so that at night, the overtaking vessel would see only the stern light and neither of the sidelights of the vessel being overtaken.[11][page needed] Note that THE OPENING WORDS OF THIS RULE MAKE CLEAR THAT THIS RULE OVERRIDES ALL OTHER RULES." WIKI

 

The hierarchy of watercraft places human power at the top. A rowboat always has right of way over a sailboat and a sailboat always has right of way over motorized craft.

That is regardless of course, speed, and relative positions. On the other hand, common sense must still prevail. On a day sailer, only an idiot would attempt to assert his right of way privilege over an oil tanker.

 

Right. In a canoe you give way to any tow as the captain on the sticks may not see you visually and on his radar you look just like another log floating on the surface. You get the hell out the channel, way out of the channel.

 

It looks to me that the Russian ship was travelling in a straight line, and then began to turn a little to avoid hitting the American ship. If the posters are right, and the American ship was heading for the starboard side of the Russian ship, then shouldn't the American ship have changed directions before hand?

I know Moscow complained about the incident to Washington before Washington countered it with their own version. Maybe the captain wanted to protect himself - I don't know. This doesn't mean that Russia doesn't play its own games, but usually its to protect its rights and not an aggressive act.

 

In post #57 above part of the last sentence got cut off.

 

I think it looks like the Russian ship turned left, in order to head towards the American ship. I won't bet the farm on it though.

On the other hand, the Russian version that I read is that the American ship turned towards the Russian ship. There is no evidence to support that version of the story.

 

The US ship is part of the 7th fleet; the same fleet that had 2 recent collisions that killed 17 sailors.

 

The Russki always seem to play these dangerous little games with American ships....it will cost them lives...many lives if a mistake is made.

Their navy is no match for the US....the sooner they realize this the better.

 

Sometimes, on rare occasions, Russians can be right.
American Navy captains seem to think that just because their are part of the most powerful navy in the world every ship no matter the size or ownership should yield to them regardless of the rules or common sense.

 

"Still got".....LOL, you don't sound so sure of yourself. Assad will dangle at some point.

Point was the vatniks got slaughtered....and it's a green light for more,LOL.

 

For those that are thinking they know the rules of the roads look up restricted maneuvering during flight operations, the Russian ship was in the wrong becasue the US ship at flight quarters and was restricted in maneuvering ability for the safety of both the ship and the helo.

 

On this one, I agree with you. Seems like the US ship initiated the game of chicken and the Russian captain didn't back down. The Russians seemed to have fun with it. Did you see the video that showed some Russian sailors casually sunning themselves as the 2 ships drew up on each other?

 

I've seen no evidence that the helo was attempting a landing at the time. Besides, landing on the back of a destroyer is not the same thing as an f-18 on a landing approach.

Looks like the helo was content to sit back and take pictures.

 

It’s easier to delay the landing than to call Russians and try to ask them to give the right of way.

 

I was on a warship in the Sea of Okhotsk, and we got messed with by a Russian warship in just about exactly the same way.

That happened over 30 years ago.

This has been going on since the end of WWII. There's nothing remarkable about this incident.

 

Well, I wouldn’t be too upset at people with fetal alcohol syndrome showing their behinds to others.)

 

Russia doesn't claim it had right of way. Both side claim that the opposite side suddenly changed its course and dangerously approached.

 

I put up the basic rules in post 20. Boat coming from starboard has the right of way.

 

Not true.

Not relevant who has the right of way.

A ship from starboard has the right of way. And in this case it was the Russian ship. It just is. The Russians made a hard left to avoid a collision,... while it was the Americans who should have given the right of way. The Americans got no grounds to complain. It was their fault for not yielding to a ship coming from starboard.