How in world does This happen?

[76-1]

USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier crashes into merchant ship near Middle East port

The nuclear-powered USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Egypt, Navy officials said Thursday. The US Navy said the carrier collided with the Besiktas…

nypost.com

Shouldn't the destroyers attached to that Battle Group have done everything (up to ramming) this ship to keep it from getting that close to an Aircraft Carrier... Terrorists across the planet are saying "damn, that could have been us[!]..."

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier crashes into merchant ship near Middle East port

The nuclear-powered USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Egypt, Navy officials said Thursday. The US Navy said the carrier collided with the Besiktas…

nypost.com

Shouldn't the destroyers attached to that Battle Group have done everything (up to ramming) this ship to keep it from getting that close to an Aircraft Carrier... Terrorists across the planet are saying "damn, that could have been us[!]...)...

There isn’t enough in that to form an opinion on how this happened, who was at fault, or the damage incurred by either ship.

 

[76-1]

There isn’t enough in that to form an opinion on how this happened, who was at fault, or the damage incurred by either ship.

My question is: How does any civilian ship that's certainly not a part of the Carrier Group get Inside its security zone and close enough to even have a collision???

To me it's not a question of who was at fault rather than how could it even happen...

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

My question is: How does any civilian ship that's certainly not a part of the Carrier Group get Inside its security zone and close enough to even have a collision???

To me it's not a question of who was at fault rather than how could it even happen...

It’s international waters and we allow merchant shipping to pass through the formation. Happens all the time. It’s not like the ships are within a few hundred yards of each other. They’re usually one to many nautical miles apart from each other. Of course traffic is closely monitored. They may have been going through a strait. Don’t know yet.

 

[Bulk VanderHuge]

You have to blame the CIC, right? Or is he too busy trolling the libs?

 

[76-1]

It’s international waters and we allow merchant shipping to pass through the formation. Happens all the time. It’s not like the ships are within a few hundred yards of each other. They’re usually one to many nautical miles apart from each other. Of course traffic is closely monitored. They may have been going through a strait. Don’t know yet.

Seems like a Major security risk to allow civilian vessel that close to an asset like an Aircraft Carrier no matter what the circumstances...

Here's a slightly more detailed take:

https://news.usni.org/2025/02/13/breaking-uss-harry-s-truman-collides-with-merchant-vessel-in-mediterranean-sea

My laymans perspective would be that you'd keep a ship far enough away from you based on the amount of explosive material it could potentially be carrying and you'd stay 1,000 yards Outside the potential blast radius if at all possible...

Now maybe that's Not possible in that area but it seems a pretty obvious major security risk to allow another ship that close to one of our Carriers...

They just gave the Iranians and Houtis a blueprint as the how the take out a Carrier, in my opinion...

 

[mcmurtry66]

You have to blame the CIC, right? Or is he too busy trolling the libs?

D
E
I

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

I searched and there isn’t enough information out yet to know much more. It happened in the Med off Egypt (don’t know how far from the coast), no casualties or flooding on either ship or damage to propulsion systems. I’m guessing a glancing blow since the carrier is about 100,000 tons and the other about 50,000 tons. A direct hit would have caused significant damage and the merchant being more likely to sink if direct and high speed. Happened around noon so visibility should be good. More will come out in the next couple days.

Edit to note it was 11:45 PM, or 2345, rather than 11:45 AM, or 1145, so it was dark. I misread the time in one of the articles.

 

[mattndallas]

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Seems like a Major security risk to all a civilian vessel that close to an asset like an Aircraft Carrier no matter what the circumstances...

Here's a slightly more detailed take:

https://news.usni.org/2025/02/13/breaking-uss-harry-s-truman-collides-with-merchant-vessel-in-mediterranean-sea

My laymans perspective would be that you'd keep a ship far enough away from you based on the amount of explosive material it could potentially be carrying and you'd stay 1,000 yards Outside the potential blast radius if at all possible...

Now maybe that's Not possible in that area but it seems a pretty obvious major security risk to allow another ship that close to one of our Carriers...

They just gave the Iranians and Houtis a blueprint as the how the take out a Carrier, in my opinion...

Sure we try to have all merchant traffic keep their distance - usually at least 1500 yards. Don’t have any idea what the trraffic situation was or where they were. The traffic going into major ports looks like that of a super highway. I loved driving the ship into ports like Hong Kong and Tokyo. Maintaining separation in those situations isn’t possible like in the open seas.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Seems like a Major security risk to all a civilian vessel that close to an asset like an Aircraft Carrier no matter what the circumstances...

Here's a slightly more detailed take:

https://news.usni.org/2025/02/13/breaking-uss-harry-s-truman-collides-with-merchant-vessel-in-mediterranean-sea

My laymans perspective would be that you'd keep a ship far enough away from you based on the amount of explosive material it could potentially be carrying and you'd stay 1,000 yards Outside the potential blast radius if at all possible...

Now maybe that's Not possible in that area but it seems a pretty obvious major security risk to allow another ship that close to one of our Carriers...

They just gave the Iranians and Houtis a blueprint as the how the take out a Carrier, in my opinion...

Also, Iranians and Houthis have tried and failed to attack our ships. A 50,000 ton merchant ship isn’t going to work for any attack.

 

[UncleMark]

You have to blame the CIC, right? Or is he too busy trolling the libs?

D
E
I

Pete drunk at the helm.

 

[76-1]

Also, Iranians and Houthis have tried and failed to attack our ships. A 50,000 ton merchant ship isn’t going to work for any attack.

Why not? If they packed it full of explosives and got close enough to do what this guy just did it would seem as though they could make a significant dent in the Carrier not to mention the potential blast damage to the flight deck...

I'm guessing no one thought a RIB presented any threat against the Cole either...

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

The articles say this occurred near Port Said which is a busy port, it’s also near traffic lanes for the Suez Canal. Could have been heavy traffic.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Why not? If they packed it full of explosives and got close enough to do what this guy just did it would seem as though they could make a significant dent in the Carrier not to mention the potential blast damage to the flight deck...

I'm guessing no one thought a RIB presented any threat against the Cole either...

Easy problem to defeat at sea. Would be an expensive defeat.

Small boats are no longer permitted near a ship in potentially dangerous ports. We had armed Sailors have small boats in the water and gunners topside and an exclusion zone. Anyone entering the zone was at risk of being destroyed.

 

[76-1]

Easy problem to defeat at sea. Would be an expensive defeat.

Small boats are no longer permitted near a ship in potentially dangerous ports. We had armed Sailors have small boats in the water and gunners topside and an exclusion zone. Anyone entering the zone was at risk of being destroyed.

Well... They didn't defeat it this time and there's no way they had any idea whether that ship posed a threat or not... Hope is not a Defense...

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Well... They didn't defeat it this time and there's no way they had any idea whether that ship posed a threat or not... Hope is not a Defense...

Looks like an accident, but we don't know enough to know about what happened. They may have been in a heavy traffic lane going toward Port Said or the Suez Canal, which can be like a two or three lane highway each way and the ship came over too close. Every ship is assessed to determine whether a threat or not. They may have been talking on the bridge to bridge (should have been), etc. The Navy will investigate the hell out of it to see who or what was responsible, and we'll know the gist of the incident within a few days most likely.

 

[Joe_Hoopsier]

it’s also near traffic lanes for the Sue’s Canal.

I had to google this, and what google returned is for 18+ audience only.

 

[IUfan1957]

It's Trumps fault. He needs to fire the traffic controllers.

 

[outside shooter]

It's Trumps fault. He needs to fire the traffic controllers.

Laura Trump or Don Jr can take over, surely. At a salary of $10M per month. That'll fix it.

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

I searched and there isn’t enough information out yet to know much more. It happened in the Med off Egypt (don’t know how far from the coast), no casualties or flooding on either ship or damage to propulsion systems. I’m guessing a glancing blow since the carrier is about 100,000 tons and the other about 50,000 tons. A direct hit would have caused significant damage and the merchant being more likely to sink if direct and high speed. Happened around noon so visibility should be good. More will come out in the next couple days.

Didn't this happen in the dead of night? the USNI article says 11:45pm, so it would have been dark.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Didn't this happen in the dead of night? the USNI article says 11:45pm, so it would have been dark.

You're right. I misread it as 1145 AM. Yep, in the dark for sure. Ships operate 24/7 so all have experience in the dark, however it's a little more difficult with no visibility. We had a close call in the Strait of Malacca on my 5th ship. It was one of the darkest nights I've experienced and a small boat that didn't show up on radar passed within feet of the ship. Whoever was on it didn't see us until late and we didn't see it until we were looking down on it from the bridge wing. We would have sunk it if we hit it - or it hit us. I'm sure it scared the crap out of them.

 

[76-1]

Didn't this happen in the dead of night? the USNI article says 11:45pm, so it would have been dark.

Gee if only our Navy had access to night vision and radar...

Hopefully P.H. can get right on that... 😉

🍺🇺🇸🍺

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Gee if only our Navy had access to night vision and radar...

Hopefully P.H. can get right on that... 😉

🍺🇺🇸🍺

Of course we do. You must be joking.

 

[76-1]

Of course we do. You must be joking.

Of course I'm joking...

Hence the wink 😉 emoji...

Gezzz 🙄

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

 

[bub--rub]

We had armed Sailors have small boats in the water and gunners topside and an exclusion zone.

I was once a passenger on a small sailboat leaving San Diego Bay. The captain pointed out Point Loma as we passed it. He told us if we got too close a couple 18 yr olds on a boat would quickly head our way and they'd point a 50 caliber machine gun directly at us.

I felt that statement in my plumbs.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

I was once a passenger on a small sailboat leaving San Diego Bay. The captain pointed out Point Loma as we passed it. He told us if we got too close a couple 18 yr olds on a boat would quickly head our way and they'd point a 50 caliber machine gun directly at us.

I felt that statement in my plumbs.

The boomers are at Point Loma. Yep, you can’t get too close to them.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

There isn’t enough in that to form an opinion on how this happened, who was at fault, or the damage incurred by either ship.

Why does fault matter? Wouldn’t the carrier always have a clear path to avoid the collision? Isn’t that why we have all the radars, sensors, and human look outs?

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Why does fault matter? Wouldn’t the carrier always have a clear path to avoid the collision? Isn’t that why we have all the radars, sensors, and human look outs?

We don’t own the sea lanes in international waters. We have to follow the rules of the road same as every vessel at sea. No, carriers do not always have the right of way. I get that those without maritime experience can’t visualize this, but this is the way.

It’ll matter for the CO and officers on the bridge too. Even if 1 percent of the fault is theirs, careers are over.

 

[76-1]

Why does fault matter? Wouldn’t the carrier always have a clear path to avoid the collision? Isn’t that why we have all the radars, sensors, and human look outs?

My personal interest/concern isn't who was at fault but how Any civilian vessel was allowed to get inside the security perimeter of one of our Aircraft Carriers...

As far as fault goes its my understanding that usually the larger vessel (gross tonnage) has the right of way and then the situation (if equal vessels) would defer to whoever is tracking from the starboard (right) if they were about to cross at the same point...

How this happened is baffling and the deepest fault may lie with the failure of the screening DD (Destroyer) to not have intercepted the civilian vessel before it was able to impact the Carrier... Night shouldn't have anything to do with it given the radar, sensor arrays and night vision capabilities of both the Carrier and its accompanying Destroyer (assuming the Destroyer was actually in position to act as a screen for the Carrier).

Now all my background is simply from what I've read over the years (along with some light craft wind driven sailing), so I defer to Aloha's real life expertise on the topic... I'm just approaching the question from a laymans "common sense" perspective...

My big concern is that enemies will see this through the lense of "why don't we give that a try(?)"...

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

My personal interest/concern isn't who was at fault but how Any civilian vessel was allowed to get inside the security perimeter of one of our Aircraft Carriers...

As far as fault goes it would usually be the larger vessel (gross tonnage) with the right of way and then defer to whoever is tracking from the starboard (right) if they were about to cross at the same point...

How this happened is baffling and the deepest fault may lie with the failure of the screening DD (Destroyer) to not have intercepted the civilian vessel before it was able to impact the Carrier... Night shouldn't have anything to do with given the radar, sensor arrays and night vision capabilities of both the Carrier and its accompanying Destroyer (assuming the Destroyer was actually in position to act as a screen for the Carrier).

Now all my background is simply from what I've read over the years (along with some light craft wind driven sailing), so I defer to Aloha's real life expertise on the topic... I'm just approaching the question from a laymans "common sense" perspective...

My big concern is that enemies will see this through the lense of "why don't we give that a try(?)"...

Biggest ship doesn’t always have the right of way. This doesn’t appear to be an open ocean situation from what I’ve read so far. Seems they were in sea lanes approaching Port Said or the Suez Canal. There are more restrictive rules of the road in those approaches, which no kidding can be like a highway. They may have been on the way to the Suez Canal to transit to the Red Sea. Don’t know yet.

 

[76-1]

Biggest ship doesn’t always have the right of way. This doesn’t appear to be an open ocean situation from what I’ve read so far. Seems they were in sea lanes approaching Port Said or the Suez Canal. There are more restrictive rules of the road in those approaches, which no kidding can be like a highway. They may have been on the way to the Suez Canal to transit to the Red Sea. Don’t know yet.

I guess my attitude/ thoughts about it boil down to this:

Our Aircraft Carrier(s) should be afforded the 2,000 lb Gorilla treatment anywhere there is the potential for hostilities (which in this case is Anywhere in the Middle East at the moment)...

I'm of the opinion that no non-US Navy vessel should ever be close enough to one of our Aircraft Carriers to even get close to impacting it...

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

I guess my attitude/ thoughts about it boil down to this:

Our Aircraft Carrier(s) should be afforded the 2,000 lb Gorilla treatment anywhere there is the potential for hostilities (which in this case is Anywhere in the Middle East at the moment)...

I'm of the opinion that no non-US Navy vessel should ever be close enough to one of our Aircraft Carriers to even get close to impacting it...

It’s just not how it works. Should a convoy of Army vehicles be able to destroy any civilian vehicles that get too close on I65?

 

[76-1]

It’s just not how it works. Should a convoy of Army vehicles be able to destroy any civilian vehicles that get too close on I65?

If they're attempting to collide with any part of that convoy, I'd have no problem with the security element of said convoy running them off the road...


That said, I-65 isn't in a known current combat zone (although having driven it regularly it probably should be considered as such😉)... ((that's my idea of a joke))

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

If they're attempting to collide with any part of that convoy, I'd have no problem with the security element of said convoy running them off the road...


That said, I-65 isn't in a known current combat zone (although having driven it regularly it probably should be considered as such😉)... ((that's my idea of a joke))

We do not yet know what happened. I’m currently leaning toward heavy traffic in a sea lane headed toward port or the canal. It’s like my last ship. We’re not shooting at civilian boats as we exit or enter San Diego if the get “too close.” That’s not what happens or should happen.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

We don’t own the sea lanes in international waters. We have to follow the rules of the road same as every vessel at sea. No, carriers do not always have the right of way. I get that those without maritime experience can’t visualize this, but this is the way.

This doesn’t answer the important question. ROW isn’t the issue. I would expect a navy ship to alter course to avoid a collision. For me the question boils down to should the carrier have been aware of an impending collision in time to avoid it?

 

[76-1]

We do not yet know what happened. I’m currently leaning toward heavy traffic in a sea lane headed toward port or the canal. It’s like my last ship. We’re not shooting at civilian boats as we exit or enter San Diego if the get “too close.” That’s not what happens or should happen.

My thought (from what I personally consider to be my version of a "common sense" perspective) is that we shouldn't need to be "shooting at" civilian boats if the screening vessels are doing their job...

A US Destroyer (or even smaller craft in the case of San Diego Harbor) ramming a civilian craft could potentially save an Aircraft Carrier from a terrorist attack while the results could be litigated after the fact...

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

This doesn’t answer the important question. ROW isn’t the issue. I would expect a navy ship to alter course to avoid a collision. For me the question boils down to should the carrier have been aware of an impending collision in time to avoid it?

Of course. Again, we don’t know the details. I don’t know how restrictive the maneuvering situation was. I know you land lubbers can’t picture it, but there are situations in shipping lanes entering and exiting harbors and ports that are just like driving on a highway.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

My thought (from what I personally consider to be my version of a "common sense" perspective) is that we shouldn't need to be "shooting at" civilian boats if the screening vessels are doing their job...

A US Destroyer (or even smaller craft in the case of San Diego Harbor) ramming a civilian craft could potentially save an Aircraft Carrier from a terrorist attack while the results could be litigated after the fact...

We don’t exit or enter San Diego harbor as a strike force. It’s all individual ship transit.