Two U.S. Navy Ships Narrowly Miss Collision in San Diego Bay

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  • actaeon277

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    Most likely depending upon the Port, a Bay or Harbor Pilot..
    Yes. Every ship pulling in/out of a port/harbor will have a pilot brought aboard to navigate.

    That does NOT absolve the vessel from stationing watchstanders on the radar and lookouts.


    I remember pulling into an Italian port, and our OOD had an Italian name.
    So, the pilot got along swimmingly well with him and I can still remember the pilot's voice as he called the OOD's name.
    The OOD orders the ship's personnel, not the pilot. The pilot tells the OOD, go over there, and the OOD makes the orders.
    The watchstanders should be looking out and reporting to the bridge crew/OOD.
     

    actaeon277

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    The reason you use a pilot, is because that pilot is familiar with that harbor/port.
    Maneuvers it each day.
    That ship might pull into that port once in a decade, or once a week.
    You still get a pilot.
    He will be updated on sandbars, wrecks, and such, and winds and currents.
     

    Ark

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    Never understood the whole harbor pilot thing. You'd think familiarity with the ship handling would trump familiarity with the harbor.
     

    Creedmoor

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    The reason you use a pilot, is because that pilot is familiar with that harbor/port.
    Maneuvers it each day.
    That ship might pull into that port once in a decade, or once a week.
    You still get a pilot.
    He will be updated on sandbars, wrecks, and such, and winds and currents.
    Yep, where I grew up on the Chesapeake, Newport News has Harbor Pilots that took the con on theship or sub before entering The Chesapeake.
    And if the ship, freighter or tanker were heading to Baltimore they would change out the Bay pilots the boarded before entering the bay around the Bay Bridge to pilot the ships to the Baltimore Terminal.
    Its a BIG hourly gig.
     

    actaeon277

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    Never understood the whole harbor pilot thing. You'd think familiarity with the ship handling would trump familiarity with the harbor.
    The OOD handles the ship.
    The pilot tells you where to go, and what to look out for so you don't risk the ship.
    It's not just the ship. Because your ship can become a hazard to other shipping, or shut down a port causing millions/billions in lost income for the port.
     

    actaeon277

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    Bad verbage, yes.
    The part ive always found interesting is pilots certified for piloting a sub.
    I don't know if there's a difference, or a specialty.
    Maybe they just have to have security clearance? But then any of them probably need clearance.

    Like I said, his/her knowledge of a sub doesn't have to be huge.
    Maybe tonnage, draft, turning radius... stuff like that.


    I didn't know that much at first, my first maneuvering watchstation was a line handler.
    maneuvering watch is when you are entering or exiting congested areas, such as port.
    I can't remember if I became maneuvering Machinery 2, then maneuvering Reactor Operator.
    Hey, it's been 3 decades.
    Wait, yes, I DO remember maneuvering RO, because one day we pulled into Italy, and I stood somewhere between 24 hours and 30 hours on watch.
    Started off At Sea Machinery 2. Then went to RO for maneuvering watch.
    After we tied up, we had to do some quick maintenance, so I was shut down the plant.
    After a bit, I was relieved to go forward and grab a QUICK meal.
    I stepped foot on land, just to say I did, it was my birthday I figured I deserved it.
    Then back on board to stand Shutdown RO till the maintenance was done.
    Then Startup RO.
    Then Maneuvering RO to go back to sea.
    Then at sea, they set the At Sea watch, so I went back to Machinery 2 again.

    Anyway, I remember that later on, they moved me up to the Bridge as a phone talker.
    Sort of a demotion? cause I was moving to phone talker from RO. But sort of not, because there's only a few people on the bridge, there's NOT very much room.
    I think there were 2 lookouts, the OOD, the pilot, and me.
    So, I had to phone talk, because all engine orders went through a dedicated announcing circuit to maneuvering (Reactor control room). They needed the sound powered back up phone, just in case. ALL ORDERS to the engineroom had to be repeated through the phone, in case a message didn't go through.
    So, they did need someone that would be familiar with the comms and orders, and that would be me.


    Anyway, the pilot told you where to go, and what to expect (look for), but the OOD made it happen.
     

    actaeon277

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    Bad verbage, yes.
    The part ive always found interesting is pilots certified for piloting a sub.

    Didn't mean to come down on the verbiage, but it's kinda a sticker in certain situations.
    If the Captain has the Con, and then transfers it to the OOD, he will tell him, YOU HAVE THE CON.
    You have to say those words.
    Just like, when I went to relieve the watch as RO, or Machinery 2.
    The off going watchstander would tell him the conditions of the watch.
    He would then say, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
    The oncoming watchstander (if he had none) would say I HAVE NO QUESTIONS. I RELIVE YOU.
    Then the offgoing would state I STAND RELIEVED.

    You had to specifically use those terms.
    Deviating from those phrases was NOT GOOD.



    Control of the ship (Con) is the same way.
    The OOD is giving the orders. If something wrong happens, the OOD is held responsible.
     

    thompal

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    What have they done to my Navy?

    Reminds me of a couple of years ago when US Navy ships seemed to be crashing into various tankers and cargo ships with amazing regularity.

    I couldn't figure out how warships that supposedly could track dozens of high speed targets couldn't manage to avoid hitting ships the size of football stadiums going 10MPH.
     

    Creedmoor

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    I don't know if there's a difference, or a specialty.
    Maybe they just have to have security clearance? But then any of them probably need clearance.

    Like I said, his/her knowledge of a sub doesn't have to be huge.
    Maybe tonnage, draft, turning radius... stuff like that.


    I didn't know that much at first, my first maneuvering watchstation was a line handler.
    maneuvering watch is when you are entering or exiting congested areas, such as port.
    I can't remember if I became maneuvering Machinery 2, then maneuvering Reactor Operator.
    Hey, it's been 3 decades.
    Wait, yes, I DO remember maneuvering RO, because one day we pulled into Italy, and I stood somewhere between 24 hours and 30 hours on watch.
    Started off At Sea Machinery 2. Then went to RO for maneuvering watch.
    After we tied up, we had to do some quick maintenance, so I was shut down the plant.
    After a bit, I was relieved to go forward and grab a QUICK meal.
    I stepped foot on land, just to say I did, it was my birthday I figured I deserved it.
    Then back on board to stand Shutdown RO till the maintenance was done.
    Then Startup RO.
    Then Maneuvering RO to go back to sea.
    Then at sea, they set the At Sea watch, so I went back to Machinery 2 again.

    Anyway, I remember that later on, they moved me up to the Bridge as a phone talker.
    Sort of a demotion? cause I was moving to phone talker from RO. But sort of not, because there's only a few people on the bridge, there's NOT very much room.
    I think there were 2 lookouts, the OOD, the pilot, and me.
    So, I had to phone talk, because all engine orders went through a dedicated announcing circuit to maneuvering (Reactor control room). They needed the sound powered back up phone, just in case. ALL ORDERS to the engineroom had to be repeated through the phone, in case a message didn't go through.
    So, they did need someone that would be familiar with the comms and orders, and that would be me.


    Anyway, the pilot told you where to go, and what to expect (look for), but the OOD made it happen.
    iI remember my uncle talking to my dad over some things, he was on a Franklin Class Boomer in the 60's as a Nuke Engineer?
    I believe he went to propulsion school in Japan then. My brain wants to say Gold Crew.
    We were in Groten for its commissioning amd we visited him in Norfolk a few times..
    My dad caught up with him in Roda at least once.
    Being a Bay/Harbor pilot wouldn't be so bad with shipping channels dont change much over the years where im from.

    Farther south and say the Mississippi its a daily change of knowledge for the river pilots.
    Ive sailed through Newport News - Norfolk at least a dozen times eash way, never had much ship traffic there or in the Bay over my life. As kids we would taunt the Academys old wooden YP's in our sail dinks and little sail cats when the midshipmen were learning in the Severn River.
     
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