Collisions can happen anytime a ship is underway, which in the U.S. Navy can happen for months on end. Navy ships can be refueled and resupplied without having

Collisions can happen anytime a ship is underway, which in the U.S. Navy can happen for months on end. Navy ships can be refueled and resupplied without having to visit port. So yes, provision has to be made for a CO to sleep at some point. And the Navy accordingly has provisions for this -- provisions which failed here. The CO will be held accountable for maintaining -- or not -- an environment conducive to safe navigation, but in any event the blame will not attach solely to the CO here.