Dismasted by an aircraft carrier

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by waterman46

If there had been advance notice by radio it might have been only in French. AIS was not mentioned, but having Class B transmitter on the sailboat would have alerted the carrier to avoid or warn the boat.

Is that so? In my offshore encounters with ships of various flags, they all hail in English (often with very recognizable international accents). Though maybe that is because it was always in the outer approaches to the U.S. coast.

But I would've thought that in international waters, English is the lingua franca.

'Bluewater' skippers out there, can you clarify?

[psk125]

Originally Posted by DMF Sailing

Is that so? In my offshore encounters with ships of various flags, they all hail in English (often with very recognizable international accents). Though maybe that is because it was always in the outer approaches to the U.S. coast.

But I would've thought that in international waters, English is the lingua franca.

'Bluewater' skippers out there, can you clarify?

Who knows if the Polish/American solo sailor's radio was even on, before the incident? The news article (in French) says that there was initial difficulty communicating with him. Perhaps he was on the wrong channel. Don't think he speaks much French.

[requiem]

Originally Posted by DMF Sailing

In my offshore encounters with ships of various flags, they all hail in English (often with very recognizable international accents).

There is fortunately a standard for such things.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by double u

these incidents have the imho most important fact in common:
very capable warships that did not guard their "perimeter" (or whatever ir is called in Navy diction).
2 RIBs with armed soldiers intercepting any approaching boat in Aden harbour? Excessive precautions? A fast patrolboat (or maybe 2?) driving circles around the carier?: excessive precautions for France's single most expensive military asset?
You tell me Lodesman (seems you have some personal ax to grind there? Comparing US civil war >100 years ago to teh Yemeni recurring wars/uprisings,...?)

The two incidents are apples and oranges. Alongside to fuel, all the transmitters would have been secured, not that radar really would be necessary in harbour. A couple of ribs guarding the perimeter would have been a good idea, and probably what's being used nowadays. Given that the terrorist boat was in amongst the harbour tugs that were there to berth the Cole, those ribs may not have been able to be in a position to do anything about it either - all academic at this point.

A fast patrol boat driving circles around a carrier in open ocean - you have got to be kidding! Beyond impractical. It's akin to all of us wearing helmets all of the time to protect ourselves from being hit in the head with a meteor. Sure it could happen, but in reality the likelihood is so small, it really makes no sense to go to all that trouble.

A final thought - the function of any navy isn't just to exert force. For 500 years +, naval vessels have served as the diplomatic arms of the nations they serve. Waving the flag and interacting culturally with the host nation, is an under-appreciated role of any navy, but it does have an effect and contributes towards better understanding and cooperation between nations; I think you'll agree that this is a worthwhile endeavour. But it's very hard to extend an olive branch in one hand, if you're holding a .45 in the other. One big part of what the navy does, can't be done if you're locked and loaded, defcon 1, all guns pointing outward. So you have to balance the risks against the potential benefits. Sometimes we don't get it right and stuff happens. Sometimes we forget that it's the job of the military to assume that risk.

And if you think I was comparing the US Civil War to any uprisings in Yemen, you need to go re-read what I wrote. Seems likely you're just struggling to find something to argue about - so who actually has an ax to grind?

[goboatingnow]

The point is the situation as described in the French interview is the carrier bore down on the yacht from astern ( as it hadn't detected it ) . Hence the issue of the yacht closing on the carrier is not really the situation. clearly the bridge crew on the CdG will be changing

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

You got a link? Care to cite these references?

I read about it contemporaneously, so no, I don't remember where to find it - my memory is good but not that good. It was probably an article in Cruising World, as it was about a yacht visiting Aden. They were, of course, concerned for their safety. Literally everyone was armed to the teeth, and kept AK-47's in their car trunks. They met a driver who agreed to show them around but warned them that they had to be ready to leave on a moment's notice. After a few days of sightseeing and meeting friendly people the driver told them to leave immediately, and shortly after leaving the fighting flared up. It was not necessarily part of the civil wars: tribal and familial conflicts often lead to violence. The point is that for a very long time Yemen has been a place where violence is common, intense, and unpredictable. It has also been a haven for terrorist groups as the control of any government has been weak and geographically limited. Taking a U.S. Navy ship there was a risky thing to do - in no way could Aden have been considered a safe, friendly port.

IIRC in 2005 or 2006 the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier stopped in Marmaris, Turkey, for a visit on the way home from the gulf. While the support ships went to the nearby NATO base the Roosevelt anchored in the middle of Marmaris harbor. The entire harbor was put on lockdown - only U.S. and Turkish navy boats were allowed to move, and they were constantly patrolling. The visit was unannounced, although somehow the merchants and prostitutes got the word: the bazaar (closed for the winter) suddenly opened up, and prostitutes came from all over Turkey.

Also about that time a Burke-class destroyer tied up to the ferry quay in Marmaris harbor. There was a boom around the ship and boats in the water, as well as armed personnel on the quay preventing anyone from getting close. And they were very nervous and on edge. So yes, the U.S. Navy was taking port security very seriously after the Cole incident, and I hope that they still are.

Greg

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by requiem

There is fortunately a standard for such things.

Wow. Nice resource. Thanks!

This explains the Ukrainian hailing me continuing to speak fractured English instead of switching to his native tongue in response to my suggestion that he do so.

Learn something new every day on the Cruisers Forum.