Boat runs over soldier

[localboy]

I grew up on the water. Surfing, swimming, diving, spear-fishing, kayaking...name it. Learned to be safe, know my limits and make sure others could see me...especially, when spearfishing/diving. Always used a float with a "diver down" flag. While surfing, stay by your board. All this did not guarantee some idiot with a boat would not run you over...

http://www.kwwl.com/story/35677831/hawaii-soldier-on-surfboard-dead-after-boat-runs-over-him

[colbysmith]

Post under SSH. (Sometimes stuff happens.) Recently the UW Madison Life Saving boat, out training I believe, on Lake Mendota in Madison, managed to run over and kill a well known windsurfer/instructor. Investigation is still ongoing, but it may be a while before the public knows what happened...

[thataway]

A few more details are in another news story--it was about 7AM. There were two persons together, but they were going to dive--or at least had masks, snorkels and fins with the boards. But the person run over apparently was separated from his board, and there was NO diver down flag.

I think that the paddle boards (usually surf boards per say are not near marina entrances) have become a real problem. I noted this particularly at Dana Point (when my son keeps his 25. They have to come in and out of the harbor at a dead slow speed, because the paddle boarders--often renters, have no idea of the rules of the road--and may turn in front of a boat suddenly.

The other issue is that of divers and flags. Most likely since the soldier was on R & R, he just checked out a board, and some diving gear--no one instructed hime in proper use and use of the dive flag--where the channel was etc.

Tragedy!

On a bigger scale, the USS Fitzgerald had a collision with a merchant vessel which was 3x its size. The captain and one other sailor were injured badly enough to be hospitalized and 7 sailors are missing.

The merchant ship, and AIS on, was transiting normal shipping lanes, at a speed of 18.5 knots and course of 068 degrees. There was no track on satellite reception of the Destroyer. This was at about 2 AM. So who are our Navy ships allowed to run without their AIS on? When we are at war--ok--but this was only a few miles off the coast of Japan--and in busy shipping lanes. At least the navy vessel should have had a radar watch, and AIS reception as well as lookouts in all quadrants. The Merchant ship should have also had lookouts and at least Radar--and they had a valid AIS signal....Damage to starboard side of Navy vessel, port bow of Japanese ship-massive damage to Navy ship. Suggest that the Merchant ship had right of way, except if they were aft of the beam, and the faster vessel.

Moral--Situational Awareness! In both cases tragedy would have been averted!