USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62)

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Rear view of the Fitzgerald in Pearl Harbor (2003)
Rear view of the Fitzgerald in Pearl Harbor (2003)
Overview
Order February 22, 1990
Keel laying February 9, 1993
Launch January 29, 1994
1. Period of service flag
Commissioning October 14, 1995
Technical specifications
displacement

8315 tons

length

154 m

width

20 metres

Draft

9.5 meters

crew

26 officers, 315 men

drive

2 propellers, driven by 4 gas turbines; 73.5 MW

speed

31 knots

Armament

90 VLS cells,
2 triple torpedo launchers,
1 127 mm gun

The USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) is a destroyer in the United States Navy and belongs to the Arleigh Burke class . It was named after Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald , who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his selfless service in the Vietnam War .

history

Launch of a Standard Missile 3 from the Fitzgerald (2012)

The Fitzgerald was commissioned from Bath Iron Works in 1990 and laid down there in early 1993. She entered service in October 1995 after twelve months in dry dock and one and a half years at the equipment pier.

In 2002 she took part in the Millennium Challenge 2002 exercise, and in 2003 she was relocated as part of Operation Enduring Freedom . She drove as part of the combat group around the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) . In 2004 she changed her home port from San Diego to Yokosuka , with most of the crew swapping the ship with the USS O'Brien (DD-975) ( Spruance class ), which replaced the Fitzgerald . From Japan, the Fitzgerald operated together with the combat group around the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) . In 2006 and 2007 she took part in the Valiant Shield exercise with the Kitty Hawk , and in 2009 in the Malabar exercise with Indian and Japanese forces.

In September 2010, the Fitzgerald took part in a submarine hunt exercise with the South Korean Navy in the Yellow Sea . The purpose was to deter North Korea . After the bombing of Yeonpyeong , she moved alongside the USS George Washington (CVN-73) in the Yellow Sea. In July 2011, the Fitzgerald took part in Exercise Talisman Saber 2011 , an exercise with the Royal Australian Navy .

Collision with the ACX Crystal container ship

USS Fitzgerald damaged by the collision in the Yokosuka naval port (June 17, 2017)

In the early morning hours of June 17, 2017, the Philippine container ship ACX Crystal ( IMO No. 9360611) collided with the USS Fitzgerald on its way from Nagoya to Tokyo . 1080 containers were loaded. The accident occurred around 12  nautical miles off the Izu Peninsula near Yokosuka . The investigators assume that the collision occurred around 01:30 a.m. local time ( UTC + 9 ( JST )) while the ACX Crystal was under autopilot. According to the Automatic Identification System (AIS) recording , she was running at a speed of 18.5 knots (34 km / h) on a true course of 070 ° at that time  . The USS Fitzgerald did not disseminate any navigation data via the AIS, as it is mandatory for merchant shipping over 300  GT to avoid collisions.

Although all ships in the US Navy are equipped with AIS, the transmission of data on the open sea has been switched off frequently since warnings were issued in 2012 about safety risks as a result of the ongoing disclosure of the current position. Ships from other armed forces and even merchant ships sometimes switch off the system.

The coast guard received the accident report around 02:30 a.m. local time after the ACX Crystal had run back on the opposite course to the collision position in order to clarify the situation.

The destruction above the waterline from outside

The collision caused at the Fitzgerald damage amidships on the starboard side of the hull up to the bridge . There was water ingress due to damage under the waterline . According to marine spokespersons, two crew bedrooms, the radio compartment and the auxiliary engine room were flooded. Seawater had to be pumped out with its own bilge pumps and additional ejector pumps (based on the principle of a Venturi nozzle ) in order to keep the Fitzgerald buoyant.

Seven crew members were initially reported missing. On June 18, it was announced that all missing persons could only be rescued dead from the previously flooded parts of the ship by search and rescue teams.

Several people were injured on the USS Fitzgerald ; three of them, including the commander Bryce Benson, were flown to the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka in a Japanese naval helicopter ( Medevac ). The Fitzgerald returned under its own power at low speed (1-2 knots ), closely accompanied by a ship, back to her home port of Yokosuka, where she was maneuvered by tugs into her berthing position.

Involved in the support of the USS Fitzgerald were two ships of the Japanese Coast Guard named Izanami and Kano as well as ships of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces (JMSDF), namely the Ohnami , the Hamagiri and the Enshu as well as the US destroyer USS Dewey and some aircraft.

The USS Fitzgerald had operated as part of maneuvers with the JMSDF in the aircraft carrier combat group around the Ronald Reagan , which had ended on June 1.

Starboard access luggage compartment after the collision

The collision happened on a very busy shipping route. "Most of the 200 crew members of the ' USS Fitzgerald ' were asleep at the time of the collision." "The Japanese broadcaster NHK (reported) that the container ship abruptly changed course at the time of the collision," can be read on orf.at.

“The damage is considerable. There is a gaping gap under the water, ”said Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, according to a report in the mirror . The ship almost sank. However, n-tv.de reports: “According to the Japan Coast Guard, there was no danger that the destroyer could sink.” “The freighter was also unable to maneuver after the collision, but it did not suffer any serious damage. The twenty-person crew of the container ship remained unharmed. "

Lounge in berth 2 with a view of the exit from the lounge.

As a consequence of the accident on June 21, three commanding crew members, including the commander Bryce Benson, were released from their duties in August 2017. One report concluded that the collision was avoidable. On the USS Fitzgerald , faulty teamwork and poor leadership contributed to the collision. Several junior officers have been relieved of their duties due to poor seamanship and poor cooperation at the watch on the bridge and in the operations center . According to the report, the entire Fitzgerald crew did a good job saving their ship after the clash. After another destroyer collision in August 2017, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, Commander of the Seventh Fleet, also lost his position on August 23, 2017.

The investigation report on the collision was published by the US Navy on November 1, 2017. The course of the course of the ACX Crystal before the collision published there contradicts the recorded AIS data between 01:05 a.m. and 01:15 a.m. local time (16:05 p.m. - 16:15 p.m. UTC ). The graph to the report (Collision Maps Graphics) shows in the period a true course of the ACX Crystal of 115 ° in which the ship, contrary to the current Regulations for Preventing Collisions , the local traffic separation zone would have traversed obliquely, whereas recorded AIS data a with 86 ° to Show rules appropriate course.

The USS Fitzgerald arrives at Pascagoula, Mississippi port aboard the Transshelf

In January 2018, the US Navy announced that a military trial would be initiated against the commander and three other officers .

On May 8, 2018, the U.S. Navy opened a lawsuit for four of the destroyer's officers. A deck officer pleaded guilty to negligence. As part of a mutual agreement, she was sentenced to receive a reprimand and three months' half payment. During the procedure it emerged that the ship's radar was not fully functional during the collision. The charges of murder and other charges against ship commander Commander Bryce Benson and an officer were dropped in April 2019. The United States Secretary of the Navy  Richard V. Spencer wrote both a letter of no confidence, an admonition to seafarers based on the sole discretion of the Navy Minister. Benson then retired on December 29, 2019.

List of victims of the collision:

Return transport, miscellaneous

On November 1, 2017, the US Navy released a report on the DDG-62 and DDG-56 collisions.
After the accident, the ship was examined at the US base in Yokosuka and prepared for transport to the USA. On December 1, 2017, the USS Fitzgerald left this aboard the semi-submersible ship Transshelf . The ship was damaged again during loading. On January 19, 2018, the shipment arrived at Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula . The repair was completed in June 2020.

Web links

Commons : USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
 Wikinews: US destroyer collides with merchant ship off the coast of Japan  - News

Footnotes

  1. Jump up ↑ Brad Lendon, Yoko Wakatsuki: US sailors missing after Navy destroyer collision off Japan (en) . In: CNN . June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  2. ^ US 7th Fleet Public Affairs: USS Fitzgerald involved in collision (en) . In: www.navy.mil . June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  3. ↑ BBC News: USS Fitzgerald crash: Seven navy crew missing off Japan (en) . In: www.bbc.com . June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  4. ^ Corinne Reilly: Navy dismisses Google's alarm over ship tracking (en) . In: The Virginian-Pilot - www.PilotOnline.com . May 26, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  5. ^ Sean Gallagher: Why the "Internet of Ships" didn't prevent the USS Fitzgerald collision (en) . In: arsTechnica UK - www.arstechnica.co.uk . June 21, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  6. ↑ Martin Robinson: Terror fears over hundreds of 'ghost ships' turning off their tracking devices while sailing close to hotspots including Syria and Libya before entering European waters (en) . In: The daily mail online - www.dailymail.co.uk . March 10, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  7. ^ US Naval Institute News: Investigators Believe USS Fitzgerald Crew Fought Flooding For An Hour Before Distress Call Reached Help (en) . In: news.usni.org . June 21, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  8. ^ A b c Jon Simkins, David Larter: 7 US sailors missing after catastrophic collision (en) . In: www.navytimes.com . June 16, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  9. ↑ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg Germany: Collided warship: divers recover dead sailors from the "USS Fitzgerald" - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Politics. Retrieved June 18, 2017 .
  10. ^ David B. Larter: Seven missing Fitzgerald sailors discovered dead (en) . In: www.navytimes.com . June 16, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  11. ↑ Motoko Rich: US Destroyer Fitzgerald Is Damaged in Collision Off Japan. nytimes.com, June 16, 2017 (New York time), accessed June 17, 2017. - English.
  12. ^ Daniel Hurst: Seven missing after USS Fitzgerald collides with merchant ship off Japan. theguardian.com, June 16, 2017 (UK time), updated June 17, 2017 3:42 AM ( UTC + 1 ), accessed June 17, 2017. - English.
  13. ^ USS Fitzgerald takes on water after collision off the Japanese coast. youtube.com, Uploaded by Sarah_Lia, Raw Story, June 16, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017.
  14. ↑ US Navy: USS Fitzgerald Returns to Yokosuka, Japan After Collision at Sea . In: Youtube.com . June 17, 2017. Accessed June 17, 2017. - Video 4:12 min - 3.30: slight heeling of the ship to starboard (right) can be seen
  15. ↑ dattoo TV: USS Fitzgerald involved in collision with merchant vessel. youtube.com, June 16, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017. - Video 2:04 min. Message text. (English) - Accompaniment by an adjacent ship.
  16. ↑ Talk about an armada: 2 US carriers operating off Japan. (June 1, 2017).
  17. ↑ Corpses of missing US sailors recovered: Further no information on the cause. orf.at, June 18, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017.
  18. ↑ Collided warship: Divers recover dead sailors of the "USS Fitzgerald". spiegel.de, June 18, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017. - With reference to: beb / dpa / Reuters.
  19. ↑ Collided warship: Divers retrieve dead sailors. n-tv.de, June 18, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017. - With reference to: n-tv.de, dsi / dpa / rts.
  20. ↑ US destroyer collides with merchant ship . In: Zeit Online , August 21, 2017. 
  21. ↑ US 7th Fleet Public Affairs: 7th Fleet Announces USS Fitzgerald Accountability Determinations (en-US) . In: US Navy , August 17, 2017. 
  22. ↑ "US Navy to remove commander of 7th Fleet amid latest accidents" - CBS, August 22, 2017 (English).
  23. ↑ Navy Releases Collision Report for USS Fitzgerald and USS John S McCain Collisions US Navy, November 1, 2017, accessed November 15, 2017
  24. ^ Ex-Navy commanders face negligent homicide charges over deadly collisions , CNN, January 17, 2018
  25. ↑ Navy 'callous' in how it describes deadly USS Fitzgerald collision, attorneys allege Washington Post, May 9, 2018
  26. ↑ Former USS Fitzgerald CO Benson to Retire as Commander Next Month USMI News dated November 20, 2019
  27. ↑ usni.org: USS Fitzgerald, USS John S. McCain Collision Report
  28. ↑ FAZ.net
  29. ↑ https://hansa-online.de/2017/11/featured/88819/ungluecksschiff-fitzgerald-bei-bergung-erneut-beschaedigt/
  30. ↑ Home with a special carrier. November 28, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017 .
  31. ^ USS Fitzgerald arrives in Pascagoula for restoration. January 19, 2018, accessed January 20, 2018 .
  32. ↑ https://hansa-online.de/2020/06/featured/154423/uss-fitzgerald-drei-jahre-nach-kollision-zurueck/
Destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class


Flight I

Arleigh Burke  • Barry  • John Paul Jones  • Curtis Wilbur  • Stout  • John S. McCain  • Mitscher  • Laboon  • Russell  • Paul Hamilton  • Ramage  • Fitzgerald  • Stethem  • Carney  • Benfold  • Gonzalez  • Cole  • The Sullivans  • Milius  • Hopper  • Ross

Flight II

Mahan  • Decatur  • McFaul  • Donald Cook  • Higgins  • O'Kane  • Porter

Flight IIA

Oscar Austin  • Roosevelt  • Winston S. Churchill  • Lassen  • Howard  • Bulkeley  • McCampbell  • Shoup  • Mason  • Preble  • Mustin  • Chafee  • Pinckney  • Momsen  • Chung-Hoon  • Nitze  • James E. Williams  • Bainbridge  • Halsey  • Forrest Sherman  • Farragut  • Kidd  • Gridley  • Sampson  • Truxtun  • Sterett  • Dewey  • Stockdale  • Gravely  • Wayne E. Meyer  • Jason Dunham  • William P. Lawrence  • Spruance  • Michael Murphy  • John Finn  • Ralph Johnson  • Rafael Peralta  • Thomas Hudner  • Paul Ignatius  • Daniel Inouye  • Delbert D. Black  • Carl M. Levin  • Frank E. Petersen Jr.  • John Basilone  • Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee  • Gallagher

Flight III

Harvey C. Barnum Jr.  • Jack H. Lucas  • Louis H. Wilson Jr.