Sailors driving the McCain were not qualified to be on watch, Navy says
By: Mark D. Faram 1 day ago
The battered McCain arrives in port. Severe deficiencies in training and fundamentals on the part of watch-standers have been blamed for the Navy's recent fatal collisions. (U.S. Navy photo by Grady T. Fontana/Released)
Five minutes before the guided missile destroyer McCain collided with a commercial vessel in August, McCain’s commanding officer felt the helmsman was having difficulty steering the ship and controlling its speed — normal duties for the watch station.
The skipper then ordered the officer of the deck to change to the ship’s steering configuration so that another sailor could step in and help — a maneuver called splitting the watch.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/11/02/sailors-driving-the-mccain-were-not-qualified-to-be-on-watch-navy-says/
