Should they have wheels on them?

[Robert T. Bush]

BILL BROWN'S BLUNDER

I am sure poor Bill Brown, more formally known as Captain William D. Brown, USN, had heard of the old nautical adage "Outward bound don't go aground" but he ignored it in a way that made him famous. It even attracted comment from The Red Fleet the Russian naval newsletter. The ship he commanded was a battle ship, not just a common or garden battle ship, but "The Mighty Mo" USS Missouri launched in 1944 by Margaret Truman the daughter of the then Senator Harry Truman, the surrender agreement between the Allies and Japan had been signed on her decks

She had spent several months in dock at Norfolk and was departing that port with a pilot on board, shortly after he left Captain Brown ran her well and truly aground on charted shallow area in clear weather at 0817 January 17 1950. According to a naval officer her echo sounder or depth recorder was not working.

A naval court of inquiry found that there was no effective passage plan and horror of horrors no risk analysis. A written risk analysis is almost mandatory today before going to the toilet on vessels over 500 gross tons not fitted with straining bars.

Captain Brown was not dismissed from the US Navy. What rankles is that if he were alive today I would be contributing to his pension having already helped pay for his education at Annapolis. I am not anti US navy, or any other navy, I know there are many courageous good seafarers in the world's navies.

Unfortunately fifty nine years after the USS Missouri was "debeached" to use a USN expression, Captain John Carroll of the USS Port Royal ran this Aegis Missile cruiser aground under similar circumstances. Again the vessel had just completed a long expensive refit, this time at Pear Harbor, and her depth recorder was again said to be not working. The site was in public view close to the Pear Harbor airport with damage to a coral reef, and to her hull, controllable pitch propellers and shafting. Repairs were long and costly.

Captain Carroll was relieved of his command and received "judicial punishment." It was said that he was suffering from sleep deprivation.

Now we have another USN vessel aground on a sensitive coral reef this time in The Philippines where a Green Peace vessel also damaged the coral.

[John Cassels]

It was not just the fault of Captain Brown. Other persons and situations also contributed for example the range buoys.

Must also remind you that Captain Brown had a good record comanding destroyers in the Pacific in WW2.

[Chris Allman]

Ah a boy racer was he, Missouri was a bit big for him.