(Navy Times) Editorial: Fixing the surface fleet

[unhappycamper]

Fixing the surface fleet

February started badly for the surface fleet: A sailor died Feb. 1 when a small-boat crew flipped over as it was being lowered into the water from the amphibious transport dock San Antonio.

And it has gotten worse since. The cruiser Port Royal ran hard aground Feb. 5 off Honolulu International Airport, and it took three days and four tries to pull the ship out of the muck. Then, on Feb. 15, the destroyer Lassen smacked into a pleasure boat anchored near Yokosuka, Japan. Thankfully, no one was injured in either of these accidents.

Citing “poor seamanship and weak navigation practices,” Naval Surface Force commander Vice Adm. D.C. Curtis ordered a “safety standdown” for all the ships in the fleet. He also directed commanders to review a host of procedures by Feb. 27.

This comes less than a year after Curtis ordered a “strategic pause” last April, when two front-line warships flunked their inspections. At the time, he wrote that the fleet needed to get “back to basics.”

Now, once again, Curtis is using the “back to basics” analogy and reiterating his concern over how ships are being led.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/community/opinion/navy_editorial_fleet_030209/%2e

[Captain Hilts]

1. No comment!