Sub involved in collision: lax leaders who tolerated sleeping, slouching and music in radio room

[Liberal_in_LA]

Navy finds lax behavior aboard sub in collision

GROTON, Conn. (AP) — The crew aboard a U.S. submarine made dozens of errors before the vessel collided with an American warship in the Persian Gulf, an accident that exposed lax leaders who tolerated sleeping, slouching and a radio room rigged with music speakers, a Navy review found.

Navy investigators placed blame for the March collision on the submarine's "ineffective and negligent command leadership," including what they called a lack of standards and failure to adequately plan for crossing the busy Strait of Hormuz.

A Connecticut newspaper, The Day of New London, obtained a heavily redacted copy of the Navy's report through the Freedom of Information Act and reported the findings Wednesday.

The USS Hartford, a nuclear-powered submarine based in Groton, Conn., collided with the USS New Orleans, a San Diego-based Navy amphibious ship, on March 20 in the narrow, heavily traveled strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

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During the hour before the collision, investigators say, sonar operators in charge of monitoring nearby ships were chatting informally; the supervisor left his station; the navigator was taking an exam while listening to his iPod; and the officer in command did not check the periscope.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-11-18-navy-sub-discipline_N.htm?csp=24&RM_Exclude=Juno

[sakabatou]

1. So the sub crew was replaced by the lax airline pilots?

[lpbk2713]

2. Skylarking and grabassing.

No more geedunk priveleges for them.

[Captain Hilts]

3. You're the real thing if you say 'grabassing'. The sub force needs a stand down after this.

[denbot]

5. That's grabassing and buttclutching to you..

I hope no one was injured in the collision.

As a former "skimmer" I was astounded at the difference between the surface and subsurface Navy attitudes regarding crew cultures. Submariners are professional and highly skilled. There were break downs here for sure, but I have no doubts that the over all training competence, and sea worthiness of the ships and crews are quite high.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Okay, dad always said, clutchbutt, not buttclutching. But I agree with you.

There are cultures within the surface fleet that were exacting, but pound for pound, in the sub force it's more prevalent for the obvious reasons. But this report - folks listening to ipods on duty - who would have the nerve to do that if they hadn't seen it somewhere? There's something really 'normal' about the breakdown in training and discipline here.

The command and senior cpos deserved to be canned in this case, and I didn't feel that way for MINNEAPOLIS, the sub that got sucked into the underside of the tanker, and not necessarily the SAN FRANCISO, but for this one I do.

[Hekate]

4. Ewwww. I predict a few careers will be over when the investigation is done

:wow: Idjits.

Hekate