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Yes, that is exactly right. I am skipper on a small yacht, not a captain of a nuclear sub, but the reality is basically the same. In the end it is my job to m

Yes, that is exactly right. I am skipper on a small yacht, not a captain of a nuclear sub, but the reality is basically the same. In the end it is my job to make sure we don't do something that might endanger the ship and the crew. And it is my job to make sure the boat is safe for travel. And while underway I have sole discretion to make any decisions including heading back to nearest port or calling for help if I don't feel safe to continue and I am responsible for whatever happens even if I delegate the task to the crew. It is my responsibility to make sure the crew is trained and able to execute the task safely. Not sure if I hit rocks at night? Nobody cares. It is my responsibility to judge if I have enough skill and if the boat is equipped well enough to navigate in present conditions. I understand navy captains are trained differently, and navy has concept of an acceptable risk (and captains and admirals have been fired from the job for not taking enough risk). But there is a difference between acceptable risk that is taken for some much higher payoff in a military action and an unnecessary risk that is taken without any particular need or payoff or that could have been easily prevented or mitigated.

potiuper 5y ago
The questions that will likely never be answered is was it really necessary to navigate in uncharted waters? Why is the Navy not putting more effort into charting in times of peace rather than taking these risks of navigating basically blind?
- lmilcin 5y ago
  They are Navy, they can't be scared to go somewhere because they have no charts. Also this might have been on Chinese territory so maybe that is a reason for missing charts. Or maybe they had some mission that required them to go there. But that this doesn't mean there couldn't be precautions. I expect there is some procedure to use when running in those conditions. Knowing Navy, they have a procedure for everything. They can't be mapping ocean bottom by crashing nuclear subs into it until they have enough data points to build an accurate map. One of the axed people is a sonar guy. This suggests to me (keeping in mind I have no knowledge of submarine operations) that people responsible for the sonar were probably not doing what they should be doing. So maybe there is a procedure to use sonar to help them avoid obstacles. I don't know how this exactly works in an enemy territory.
- nabla9 5y ago
  How much of the ocean have we explored? https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/exploration.html https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/exploration.html > Currently, less than ten percent of the global ocean is mapped using modern sonar technology. For the ocean and coastal waters of the United States, only about 35 percent has been mapped with modern methods. There is global effort to map all oceans by 2030

potiuper 5y ago

The questions that will likely never be answered is was it really necessary to navigate in uncharted waters? Why is the Navy not putting more effort into charting in times of peace rather than taking these risks of navigating basically blind?

lmilcin 5y ago
They are Navy, they can't be scared to go somewhere because they have no charts. Also this might have been on Chinese territory so maybe that is a reason for missing charts. Or maybe they had some mission that required them to go there. But that this doesn't mean there couldn't be precautions. I expect there is some procedure to use when running in those conditions. Knowing Navy, they have a procedure for everything. They can't be mapping ocean bottom by crashing nuclear subs into it until they have enough data points to build an accurate map. One of the axed people is a sonar guy. This suggests to me (keeping in mind I have no knowledge of submarine operations) that people responsible for the sonar were probably not doing what they should be doing. So maybe there is a procedure to use sonar to help them avoid obstacles. I don't know how this exactly works in an enemy territory.
nabla9 5y ago
How much of the ocean have we explored? https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/exploration.html https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/exploration.html > Currently, less than ten percent of the global ocean is mapped using modern sonar technology. For the ocean and coastal waters of the United States, only about 35 percent has been mapped with modern methods. There is global effort to map all oceans by 2030