Why can't American destroyers hit Philippine merchant ships? What is the reason

"Warships and cargo ships collided. Who is seriously damaged? " You might say, "It must be a merchant ship."

Wrong, this time it's a warship!

Yesterday morning 1: 30 Beijing time, an American warship collided with a Philippine cargo ship in the waters near Japan.

Why can't American destroyers be knocked down by merchant ships?

Results: Three American warships were injured, of which 1 commander and seven American sailors were missing. On the contrary, there is no news of the Philippine cargo ship being injured.

Judging from the situation after the impact, the damage of American warships far exceeds that of Philippine passenger ships.

According to the Financial Times 17, two or three cabins of the destroyer Fitzgerald leaked water and the power system was lost, while the merchant ship still had power.

Why can't American destroyers be knocked down by merchant ships?

American warships collided with merchant ships, three people were injured and seven people were missing.

It is reported that the destroyer Fitzgerald of the US Navy's Seventh Fleet collided with a merchant ship flying the Philippine flag in the sea area 56 nautical miles (103 km) southwest of Yokosuka Port on the way back to Yokosuka Port, the resident of Kanagawa Prefecture. The collision caused great damage to the right side of the American warship hull.

After the incident, the injured on the US warship were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment by a helicopter from the Japan Coast Guard.

The BBC reported that the waters where the collision occurred were busy on weekdays and there were often a large number of ships coming and going. However, why the destroyer "Fitzgerald" of the US Navy equipped with advanced radar system failed to avoid the approaching merchant ship also raised questions from the outside world. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

The damaged destroyer was towed back to the base by the Japanese side.

According to the Japan Coast Guard and the US Navy, the destroyer Fitzgerald was towed back to Yokosuga base by a Japanese tugboat. The whereabouts of seven missing persons are still unknown, and the Japan Coast Guard and the Maritime Self-Defense Force have dispatched forces to conduct a search in the nearby waters.

In addition, the Japan Meteorological Agency said that when the accident occurred, the weather in the sea area was fine and the line of sight was good. The wave height is about 2 meters, and no meteorological reminder or alarm has been issued.

The damaged destroyer is the main force of the US Navy.

The merchant ship that collided with the American warship is about 222.6 meters long and has a full displacement of 29,000 tons.

The American Allie Burke-class guided missile destroyer "Fitzgerald" has a total length of 154 meters and a displacement of more than 8,300 tons.

It can be seen that the tonnage difference between the two is still obvious.

The American Allie Burke-class guided missile destroyer belongs to the US Navy's Seventh Fleet. June service 1995, stationed at the Japanese base in Yokosuga. The Arleigh Burke class destroyer is the main force of the US Navy. Equipped with Aegis combat system and SPY- 1D phased array radar, the main combat task is fleet air defense.

In recent years, the "Fitzgerald" has been active in the western Pacific from time to time. It is reported that the guided missile destroyer Fitzgerald recently docked in subic bay and then sailed in the South China Sea.

The warship collided with the merchant ship. Why is the warship obviously damaged?

Why did American advanced warships suffer huge losses in this collision, while merchant ships suffered no casualties? Why can't American warships equipped with advanced radar systems avoid the coming merchant ships? Let's look at the analysis of CCTV special commentator Song Xiaojun:

Judging from the results, it is an improper evasive operation.

Navigation in this sea area is relatively dense, and collision avoidance problems often occur. Generally speaking, the international rules for preventing collisions at sea are "small and broad". In other words, the merchant ship is the transferee. If the warship moves within a safe distance and informs the merchant ship at the same time, the transferee will continue to sail in the original direction.

The collision occurred when the warship made a left turn to avoid it. How did the problem come about? There are two theories.

There is a mistake. This possibility is very low. This is normal operation in such a dense waterway.

It is an unknown ocean current on the left side of the warship that makes the warship out of control. As a result, the bow on the port side of the merchant ship hit the bottom of the control tower on the starboard side of the warship.

The tonnage of merchant ships is three times that of warships, sailing at the original speed and original course. Such a large mass once hit its starboard position, causing damage.

Encounter ocean currents or operational errors.

Why are seven people missing? Generally speaking, when people avoid, they will relax their vigilance and suddenly encounter ocean currents or misoperation. This happened suddenly, causing people on the control tower to fall into the water.

This warship was just repaired in February, and it cost 265,438+0,000 US dollars, so it should be familiar with this place. Therefore, we judged that it was an unexpected external force that caused the warships to avoid this time and suddenly collided.

The starboard side of the warship is very fragile, and the merchant ship is the part of the left sailor, which is precisely the strongest part of the merchant ship. When avoiding, the warship exposed its weakness, which caused such consequences.

Therefore, because the tonnage of warships is smaller than that of merchant ships, they are seriously damaged, and the strongest hit the weakest.

Extension and recommendation

Japanese media: US warships collided with cargo ships when sailing in the same direction. The mail company is investigating.

The US Navy's Seventh Fleet said in a statement that the accident occurred in the sea area 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuga. At that time, the destroyer Fitzgerald was on its way back to Yokosuka Port in Kanagawa Prefecture. Reuters commented that ship collisions rarely occur in this area. The statement also said that Japan had sent a helicopter to take an injured American crew member to the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuga. Later that day, the US military said that the injured person was Braez Benson, commander of the destroyer Fitzgerald, and his physical condition was stable. In addition, two other American soldiers were taken to hospital for treatment. They have bruises and lacerations, and other parts of their bodies are being examined.

According to the US military, the destroyer Fitzgerald was damaged up and down the right waterline. At present, the US military is further confirming the overall damage of the hull and the situation of all personnel. "Fitzgerald" advances by its own power, but its propulsion is limited.

The photos on the scene show that the right side of the destroyer Fitzgerald was damaged greatly, and the hull was partially flooded, but there was no risk of sinking. An official of the US Department of Defense revealed in an interview with AFP that the crew was draining water from the intake area.