幹部は処罰、水兵は称賛された。 イージス艦の事故から一か月
最高のレーダーや機器を装備する船も結局はすぐそばの巨大なタンカーを事前に察知できなかった。
結局は最後は人の訓練練度が問われる、これはどんなに兵器の水準が上がっても同じ真理だと思う。
August 18, 20177:33 AM ET
The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald returns to port after colliding with a merchant vessel in June while operating southwest of Yokosuka, Japan.
横須賀の母港に戻ってきた横須賀南西沖で商業タンカーと衝突事故を起こしたイージス艦フィッツジェラルド The U.S. Navy has relieved the USS Fitzgerald's commander and two other senior leaders of their duties — and it's also praising the crew for saving their ship after the destroyer collided with a large Philippine-flagged container ship off the coast of Japan on June 17.
米海軍はフィッツジェラルドの艦長と2名の幹部を解任する一方で乗組員は艦船を救ったとして表彰した。 イージス艦は7月17日日本の沖合でフィリピン船籍のコンテナ船と衝突事故をおこしたもの。 "It was also evident from this review that the entire Fitzgerald crew demonstrated real toughness that night," the Navy said. "Following the collision these Sailors responded with urgency, determination and creativity to save their ship."
米海軍によると事故直後乗組員はこの非常事態に敢然と立ち向かい、創造力を発揮して艦を救うために大変な働きをしたことが事後の検証で明らかになったと述べている。 Inadequate leadership and flawed teamwork contributed to the crash, the Navy said after releasing the findings of its investigation into the crash. It also blamed poor seamanship by the crews of both the guided-missile cruiser and the ACX Crystal, whose gross tonnage was triple that of the U.S. ship.
その一方で不適切な指揮と共同連携のまずさがこの衝突の原因であるとの検証結果を発表した。 またイージス艦とその三倍もある巨大タンカー船ACXクリスタルのいずれの乗組員もシーマンシップに欠如していたと結論付けた。
Seven members of the Fitzgerald's crew died in the collision, which bashed in a large section of the ship above the waterline and caused extensive damage below. Water poured in through a large gash near its keel — a 13-by-17-foot opening that was made by the cargo ship's bulbous bow — as sailors responded to an emergency around 1:30 a.m.
この衝突で7名のフィッツジェラルドの乗組員が死亡した。この衝突ではイージス艦は喫水線上の大きな部分にが大破(13x17フィートの開口部がタンカーのバルブ船首の衝突でできた)それがその下層の階に大きなダメージをもたらしている。 海水がキール付近の大きな破損部から流入し、この夜中の1:30に起こった非常事態に乗組員たちは果敢に対応した。"Through their swift and in many cases heroic actions, members of the crew saved lives," the Navy said. The report found that the sailors responded to flooding, structural damage and reports of a fire as they worked to restore the ship's power, propulsion and guidance.
彼らの迅速かつ勇猛果敢な行動で乗組員は多くの命を救った。 さらに報告では洪水のような浸水、破壊、火災警報に迅速に反応し艦船の電源、推進力そして航行ナビゲーションを復旧したとしている。The damage spanned two decks, and water poured into the ship — particularly into Berthing 2, which held 42 beds and a lounge for the crew. By the time one sailor jumped from his top bunk, the water was chest high, the Navy says.
破損は2デッキ層にわたり、海水がなだれ込んでいる。特に第二居住区には42の乗組員ベッド寝室とラウンジがある。一人の水平がベッドから飛び起きた時にはすでに浸水は胸の高さまできていたという。Of the 35 sailors who were in Berthing 2 when the ship was struck, 28 escaped the flooding and seven sailors died. The area flooded in a span of 30 to 60 seconds.
衝突時同寝室には35人の乗組員がおり、うち28名が脱出し、7名が命を落としている。 同寝室は30秒から1分でいっきに浸水したとみられる。Here's how the report describes one sailor's escape: 一人の脱出の模様を以下に紹介する。
"The last Sailor to be pulled from Berthing 2 was in the bathroom at the time of the collision and a flood of water knocked him to the deck (floor). Lockers were floating past him and he scrambled across them towards the main berthing area. At one point he was pinned between the lockers and the ceiling of Berthing 2, but was able to reach for a pipe in the ceiling to pull himself free. He made his way to the only light he could see, which was coming from the port side watertight scuttle. He was swimming towards the watertight scuttle when he was pulled from the water, red-faced and with bloodshot eyes. He reported that when taking his final breath before being saved, he was already submerged and breathed in water." 第二居住区の最後の乗組員はちょうど衝突が起こったときにバスルームにいたが、浸水したとき彼は床のデッキに叩きつけられた。ロッカーが流れ込み、彼はそれらを避けながら居住区へ向かった、途中でロッカーと天井に挟まれ動きを止められたが天井の配管をつかみ脱出した。彼は防水小窓からさす光を目指して泳いで水中から引き揚げられたが、顔は真っ赤で目は血走っていた。彼によると助けられる直前、つまり水没寸前に息を吸い込み、水中を最後の一息で泳いだとのこと。
The ship's commanding officer, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was trapped in his cabin, which was hit by the Crystal's bow. After sailors used "a sledgehammer, kettlebell, and their bodies" to break through the door, the amount of debris forced them to remove the door's hinges to pry it open enough for a person to squeeze through.
イージス艦艦長 ブライス・ベンソン中佐はキャビンに閉じ込められが、乗組員がハンマーやアレイや体を使ってドアをこじ開けた。破損した残骸でドアは開かず、蝶番を破壊してようやく人が通れる隙間を作ったとのこと。Those who entered could see night sky, looking through an opening of ripped steel and shredded wires, according to the report.
鉄板の裂け目と寸断したワイヤーの隙間から夜空が見えたと報告は述べている。
The lounge area of Berthing 2 on the USS Fitzgerald, looking toward its exit, as seen in a U.S. Navy report on the destroyer's collision in June.
写真は第二居住区のラウンジエリアを出口方向にとったもの。
A helicopter was later used to take Benson to a naval hospital in Japan. After the crash, the Fitzgerald switched over to using paper navigation charts due to a loss of its systems. その後、ヘリコプターはベンソンを日本の海軍病院に後送した。イージス艦フィッツジェラルドは衝突後システムが破損したので航海図の使用に切り替えた。The damage limited the Fitzgerald's maximum speed to 5 knots and gave the ship a 5-degree starboard list. After it arrived in port, divers recovered the bodies of seven crew members. 損傷のためイージス艦の最大速度は5ノット(9km/h)に落ち、右舷側に5度傾いてしまった。 港に帰港ごダイバーにより7人の遺体が収容された。
Benson had already been temporarily relieved of his duties due to injuries he suffered in the crash. He's now being reassigned to the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., where the Navy says he'll be able to receive medical care. ベンソン中佐は既に負傷で一時的に任をとかれているが、ワシントンDCの海軍ヤードに赴任し、そこで治療をうけるとのこと。Several junior officers were also relieved of their duties, the Navy said. 数名の下級指揮官もすでに任を解かれているとのこと。