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Many unanswered questions about Navy destroyer collision

In this Sunday, June 18, 2017, photo, the damaged USS Fitzgerald is docked at the U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo after colliding with Philippine-flagged container ship ACX Crystal off Japan. Navy officials say the ship also had a big gash on the bottom.
In this Sunday, June 18, 2017, photo, the damaged USS Fitzgerald is docked at the U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo after colliding with Philippine-flagged container ship ACX Crystal off Japan. Navy officials say the ship also had a big gash on the bottom. Eugene Hoshiko AP

I want to know why a U.S. Navy destroyer could not avoid a collision with a container ship that actually had to turn around and run a collision course to hit it? I hear no one asking these questions. Are not our U.S. naval ships manning sonars and radars 24 hours a day outside port?

This is being presented to the American public as something that might happen anytime. Brace the brass for answers! Would you want your son or daughter on a naval ship that can’t avoid a collision with a container ship?

Michael C. Schiebelhut, Visalia

This story was originally published June 23, 2017 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Many unanswered questions about Navy destroyer collision."

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