In addition to more training in basic seamanship, the Navy is introducing other reforms aimed at preventing more collisions at sea. The moves came after two destroyers, the USS Fitzgerald and the USS John S. McCain (pictured above), collided with merchant ships in the Pacific recently, resulting in the death of 17 sailors.
In a wide-ranging report, the Navy earlier said that the collisions were avoidable and were caused by preventable errors on both destroyers. It found that sailors were often sleep-deprived and didn’t have enough training to do their jobs properly. As a result, the Navy ordered additional training in basic skills and alertness at sea.
Now, Reuters reports that Vice Admiral Phillip Sawyer, Commander of the Seventh Fleet, is taking more steps. One would make “circadian rhythm” sleep guidelines a requirement throughout the fleet; the other is to have all ships activate their AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals to alert other ships of their location, speed and course.
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