"Ogden Johnson III" wrote in message

I was at the local Naval Hospital last Friday and as I was waiting for my
appointment I started to look at a recent copy of the Navy Times that
another retired old fart set down. I only looked at it for about 15
seconds
before I was called but, what I read said that the Dhow or whatever it
was
had been spotted and watched for a fairly long time.

So it wasn't a surprise "Where did that SOB come from!" type of thing.

Which would appear to be even more damning for the JFK skipper.
If his bridge crew, et al, were aware of it and "watch[ing] it
for a fairly long time", HITH did they manage to run into it?

From my 'Shoe Days (1c Middie Cruise, USS BLANDY, Summer of '67) I recall
that the Captain SHALL be notified of any vessel projected to pass within 5
nm of the ship.

Of course, it would be Bad Form to ring up the CO and say, "**** call, you
old son of bitch!" :-)

I don't know if the JFK was at Flight Quarters, or what but if they were
the
JFK CO should have had one of the escorts shoulder the Dhow out of the
way.
Maybe the escorts have forgotten how to perform this maneuver since the
cold
war ended and they can't practice with the ruskie trawlers. Somehow I
have
gotten the impression from what others have said, what was on the news
and
in the papers, that the JFK CO, was depending on his having the right of
way.

But come to think of it (I wasn't a Black Shoe so I don't know) but
doesn't
a vessel under sail have the right of way over any powered vessel?

Right of way questions, at sea or on shore, are a moot question
after the fact - except for questions about who to hang.

Indeed. But it does, or at least should, make a difference beforehand.

Never having stood OOD on a Bird Farm I don't know if the Rules of the Road
are modified during such things as FLTOPS, UNREP, etc. My very dim
recollection is, "no." But it's been many years since Navigation and
Piloting.

As many
pedestrians learn every year, asserting one's right of way
against an oncoming compact, much less an SUV, is even worse than
a zero-sum game, the pedestrian is going to lose 100% of the
time.

Ayup. Just a good way to generate a law suit.

Several Chesapeake day-sailers over the years have fallen
afoul of the same thing, as they asserted their right of way over
a freighter inbound to or outbound from Bawlamer.

Size counts, eh! :-)

Still, whether or not the dhow had the right of way under the
circumstances, doesn't really matter. Last I heard the USN
frowns on its captains running into anything with their ship.
Particularly if that "anything" has been under observation for
quite a bit of time.

Yeah, that "5 nm thing" still rattles around in my head.

Bill Kambic

Mangalarga Marchador: Uma raça, uma paixão