A Question for Sailors

[smstonypoint]

Seriously, what are the chances?.. I am not much of a conspiracy kind of guy, but this is getting ridiculous.

What are the chances?

This reminds me of a quote from I. J. Good.

"I arrived in the seventh hour of the seventh day of the seventh month of year seven of the seventh decade, and I was put in apartment 7 of block 7, all by chance. I seem to have had more than my fair share of coincidences. I have an idea that God provides more coincidences the more one doubts Her existence, thereby providing one with evidence without forcing one to believe. When I believe that theory, the coincidences will presumably stop."

Jack Good: Cryptographer whose work with Alan Turing at Bletchley Park was crucial to the War effort | The Independent

Sreve

 

[3930dave]

Seriously, what are the chances?.. I am not much of a conspiracy kind of guy, but this is getting ridiculous.

Pretty much what I was thinking.....

After the thread title incident happened, I'd expect that a top-level Get Your "Act" Together NOW order went out to all ships at sea. I definitely wouldn't want to be a senior officer on that second ship about now.....

Rgds, D.

 

[Wagtail]

Oh my.

US destroyer collides with merchant ship near Singapore - CNN

Steve

Oh my, indeed.

Local time 0524 (almost 1.5 hours into the Morning watch), in a very constricted area of water with merchant traffic. I'm unsure of when sunrise would exactly be, but it was close... certainly dawn. They were on their way to 'Singers', but I reckon that Special Sea Dutymen had yet to be called for entering harbour; therefore a minimum manned watch.

Similar circumstances/scenario to the FITZGERALD.

My suspicions again go to minimum manning (lack of personnel to act as physical Lookouts - people with binoculars in their hands) and reliance on modern technology to make up for it.

Because of this, the OOW has his/her eyes 'down and looking' trying to be aware of the 'situation', with no one available to bring a potential problem to their attention.

 

[Leejohn]

Oh my, indeed.

Local time 0524 (almost 1.5 hours into the Morning watch), in a very constricted area of water with merchant traffic. I'm unsure of when sunrise would exactly be, but it was close... certainly dawn. They were on their way to 'Singers', but I reckon that Special Sea Dutymen had yet to be called for entering harbour; therefore a minimum manned watch.



Similar circumstances/scenario to the FITZGERALD.

My suspicions again go to minimum manning (lack of personnel to act as physical Lookouts - people with binoculars in their hands) and reliance on modern technology to make up for it.

Because of this, the OOW has his/her eyes 'down and looking' trying to be aware of the 'situation', with no one available to bring a potential problem to their attention.

You are right. A 40+knots ship and can turn within less then a mile hitting a 10 to 15 knot ship that takes a mile or 2 to turn, It's nuts.

 

[bcp]

An article like this makes you wonder if...

From:
How hackers are targeting the shipping industry - BBC News

Seizing the controls

Crucial navigation systems such as the Electronic Chart Display (Ecdis) have also been hit. One such incident is recalled by Brendan Saunders, maritime technical lead at cyber-security firm NCC Group.

This also concerned a ship at an Asian port, but this time it was a large tanker weighing 80,000 tonnes.

One of the crew had brought a USB stick on board with some paperwork that needed to be printed. That was how the malware got into the ship's computers in the first instance. But it was when a second crew member went to update the ship's charts before sailing, also via USB, that the navigation systems were infected.

Departure was consequently delayed and an investigation launched.

"Ecdis systems pretty much never have anti-virus," says Mr Saunders, pointing out the vulnerability. "I don't think I've ever encountered a merchant ship Ecdis unit that had anti-virus on it."

These incidents are hugely disruptive to maritime businesses, but truly catastrophic scenarios might involve a hacker attempting to sabotage or even destroy a ship itself, through targeted manipulation of its systems.

Could that happen? Could, for example, a determined and well-resourced attacker alter a vessel's systems to provoke a collision?

"It's perfectly feasible," says Mr Saunders. "We've demonstrated proof-of-concept that that could happen."

 

[Wagtail]

bcp, that's certainly feasible. Particularly in the 'cost savings' (minimum wage & cut to the bone merchant navy).

As I've stated, my large warship days are long behind me... that being said, paper charts were not only carried but always used on the bridge. As modern technology improved, they became more of a 'back-up' but the course & position of the ship was always recorded (in pencil) and maintained. Sure GPS is employed and, if available, DGPS. The OOW and his/her assistant (which could be a PO or chart Yeoman) where regularly taking sightings via the Polaris IOT verify the ship's position. Heck, they still shot the noon-day sun with a sextant just to 'keep their hand in'.

Today? :confused3: I don't think that 'they' have the available personnel to continue the Old School methods. These minimum manned ships actually don't have the bunks installed to carry the extra people to perform these 'old' tasks.

 

[bcp]

I'm thinking it would apply to the merchant ship, not the navy one.

I can "imagine" a navigational virus that does nothing until a Navy ship is very near, then turns toward it.

Bruce

 

[RoyJackson]

2 Navy ships involved in collisions...this is incredible!

If this was Navair, there would be an immediate safety stand-down.

 

[bindian]

I'm thinking it would apply to the merchant ship, not the navy one.

I can "imagine" a navigational virus that does nothing until a Navy ship is very near, then turns toward it.

Bruce

A friend sent me this just now............... I am willing to entertain the notion that there are IC chips in
critical equipment that may have malicious software in them, and
the armed services need to conduct a through check of their
electronics to determine it. This issue came up several years back
when contractors, having certified the chips in their equipment
wasn't of Chinese manufacture. found the Navy rather miffed when
PRC IC chips =were= used in making components for DoD use.
hugs, Brandi

 

[riptides]

I'm thinking it would apply to the merchant ship, not the navy one.

I can "imagine" a navigational virus that does nothing until a Navy ship is very near, then turns toward it.

Bruce

IMHO, these type of viruses, malware, trojan and/or hacks are not something to be tested or actually used unless in time of great strife or war. Exposure means mitigation can be undertaken. Which makes use thereof, rather difficult.

The US of A is pretty good at figuring stuff out on computers. Even if we don't own and operate them.