A newly released investigation into a near-collision between two Navy warships in San Diego Harbor in November has revealed that some of the credit for avoiding a disaster goes to the quick thinking of two bridge officers.
The officers recognized no effective action was being taken to avoid a collision and made an “incredibly brave” decision to maneuver away, the report found. The Navy findings credited changes to the training of bridge teams put in place after the death of 17 sailors in the at-sea collisions of the USS Fitzgerald and USS John McCain in 2017.
A Navy spokesman emphasized that the sea service would be treating the November incident as a learning experience, and the report noted no punishments would be forthcoming.
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On the morning of Nov. 29, the landing dock ship USS Harpers Ferry was leaving San Diego while the destroyer USS Momsen was coming back into port, according to the Navy investigation. The ships met at the narrowest part of the harbor, with the Momsen out of position and the Harpers Ferry officers busy issuing contradicting orders on the bridge.
The officer in charge of navigating the Harpers Ferry, “at the critical moment, recognized that the [ship's commander] was not taking effective action to prevent collision, believed he had the best situational awareness, and took proactive…
