Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/01/10/russianwarship.html
The ships came within 60 yards of a collision
1 Like
“Farragut sounded five short blasts, the international maritime signal for danger of a collision…”
4 Likes
They just wanted to see if Donny was home and could come out and play. What’s the harm?
8 Likes
Although I’m sure there’s plenty of incompetent people all throughout the military, just like everywhere else, I really don’t feel them like the visceral stupid that Trump exudes.
I don’t get the feeling that the US is at fault in this situation, mainly because Trump or any of his direct underlings don’t have anything to do with this.
Putin on the other hand, seems to like micromanage these interactions, while Russian media denies.
This smells like Putin’s fuckery, rather than Trump’s horseshit.
10 Likes
Lil Donny Two Scoops immediately bends over, begs to be mounted.
3 Likes
The Russians would appear to be in the right here.
A boat coming from your starboard (right) is the “Stand On” vessel and you should make a clear move to starboard and pass behind the other boat.
This rule seems to indicate that the American vessel should have given way, as the Russians were to their starboard side.
11 Likes
…but let’s all just uncritically accept the US account of the incident, because there is no historical reason to suspect that US military officials might ever lie about anything. And surely their credibility has only increased now that Trump is the CinC.
11 Likes
USS Farragut, eh?
Maybe Vlad was sending Donnie a secret message: “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”
3 Likes
Knowing the state of the Russian Navy, I’m more inclined to believe that the brake handle snapped off.
7 Likes
This is getting stupid. This kind of crap is going to start a war. It seems that the planet is about to start a world war.
The top priority for planet earth is to get rid of all nuclear weapons. Second is climate change. Third is elevating the mind of the people of earth.
1 Like
I hope taco trucks on every corner are fourth!
4 Likes
With a 10 years experience as a merchant mariner, I know that any war vessel (“grey boats” as we call them) regardless of nationality, will just do. not. give. a. single. damn. about sea rules. It’s an unwritten rule to give them a wiiiiide berth to avoid trouble.
I’ve personally witness war ships at night without any lights, radio-silent and without AIS crossing the path of ships 3 times their size.
Frankly what I see here is just a game of “I’ve got a bigger dick than yours”. Plain and simple.
31 Likes
This is the most accurate assessment of the event I have seen.
7 Likes
Agreed, I did not know they had any ships that weren’t currently on fire.
4 Likes
Can we not with the propaganda? This is the equivalent of “quit resisting” and/or “i thought he was going for his gun”
It is clear that A) the US are bad boatsmen and B) the master of spin. If I was on the lake (which is what the fucking Sea is. a giant lake) and a pontoon boat got that close to my pontoon boat, I would be a little on edge but then realize that we are both bad drivers
1 Like
2 Likes
So, a giant bay?
5 Likes
I guess. I hear lakes can get nasty weather, though.
6 Likes
That rule applies when two vessels are converging on opposite tacks. In this case, the Russian vessel was overtaking, and by the rules linked is the give-way vessel. It is the second picture, and the rule you cite is the fourth.
This seems to be all over the place in response to this, spread on the twitter by russian accounts. Of course, the captains know all of this. It looks like Russian captain tried to overtake on the starboard side to give cover and force the US navy to give way as a power move, ore maybe the american captain changed course before the video to make converging paths look like they were being overtaken, but I’m not sure if the physics make sense for that.
9 Likes
