The US Navy plans to install mechanical throttles in their guided missile destroyers after touchscreen controls were met with overwhelming criticism from the fleet.
The complex interfaces — coupled with poor training — contributed to the collision between the U.S.S. John S. McCain and the oil tanker Alnic MC in August 2017.
Sailors at the navy destroyer’s helm lost control of the ship, which sailed into the path of the tanker. The subsequent collision led to 10 fatalities and 58 injured.
The navy reported that the incident, off of the Singapore coast, flooded a number of compartments, ‘including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms.’
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The US Navy plans to install mechanical throttles in their guided missile destroyers after touchscreen controls were met with overwhelming criticism from the fleet
The USS John S. McCain had been fitted with a so-called ‘Integrated Bridge and Navigation System’ — a pair of touchscreens developed by defence firm Northrop Grumman that combine a number of controls and display data on the ship’s status.
However, the complexities of the interfaces led to the McCain’s helmsmen struggling to manage the helm and propulsion control.
An investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board concluded that a lack of proper training and documentation — along with failures in command oversight and correct protocol — resulted in the collision.
Following a series of helm transfers to different stations, the destroyer took its fateful course directly into the path of the Alnic MC after the port throttle was mistakenly operated on its own, translating an intended reduction in speed into a turn.
‘Misunderstandings expressed during the post-accident interviews and the misunderstandings of other crewmembers who were permanently assigned to the John S McCain point to a more fundamental issue with the qualification process and training with the IBNS,’ the investigation report concluded.
‘We really made the helm control system, specifically on the 51 class [destroyers], just overly complex, with the touch screens under glass and all this kind of stuff,’ said Navy Rear Admiral Bill Galinis, USNI news reported.
Feedback on the interfaces from a fleet survey was ‘eye-opening’, Mr Galinis added, referring to the decision to use the touchscreen interfaces as being in the ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’ category.
‘We got away from the physical throttles, and that was probably the number-one feedback from the fleet — they said, just give us the throttles that we can use.’
Bridge design, Galinis said, is largely established by shipbuilders — there is presently no naval specification that must be followed.
The USS John S. McCain had been fitted with a so-called ‘Integrated Bridge and Navigation System’ — a pair of touch screens developed by defence firm Northrop Grumman that combine a number of controls and display ship data. Pictured, a diagram of the IBNS
The complexities of the interfaces led to the McCain’s helmsmen struggling to manage the helm and propulsion control. Pictured, a not-to-scale illustration of the accident-pertinent features of the McCain’s bridge
Sailors at the navy destroyer’s helm lost control of the ship, which sailed into the path of a merchant tanker. The subsequent collision led to 10 fatalities and 58 injured
The first of the physical throttle controls are expected to be fitted within the next 18–24 months — with the Norfolk, Virginia-based guided missile destroyer USS Ramage being first in line for the install.
‘We’re already in the contracting process, and it’s going to come on almost as a kit that’s relatively easy to install,’ Mr Galinis told USNI News.
‘The Navy is designing and planning to install physical throttles on all DDG-51 [guided missile destroyer] class ships with the Integrated Bridge and Navigation System,’ Colleen O’Rourke of the Naval Sea Systems Command told USNI News.
‘The first throttle installation is scheduled for summer of 2020, after the hardware and software changes have been developed and fully tested to ensure the new configuration is safe, effective, and has training in place.’
The navy reported that the incident, in the Singapore Strait, flooded a number of compartments, ‘including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms.’
Following a series of helm transfers, the destroyer took its fateful course directly into the path of the Alnic MC — pictured here following the collision — after the port throttle was mistakenly operated on its own, translating an intended reduction in speed into a turn
An investigation concluded that a lack of proper training — along with failures in command oversight and correct protocol — resulted in the collision. Pictured, the USS John S. McCain after being loaded on a carrier vessel for transport back to port in Yokosuka, Japan, for repairs
The US Navy is reportedly also examining the variation in bridge designs and control systems across different ship classes — a factor which has also been attributed to adding to confusion of some of the helmsmen recently transferred to the McCain.
‘When you look at a screen, where do you find heading? Is it in the same place, or do you have to hunt every time you go to a different screen?’ said Rear Admiral Lorin Selby, USNI News reported.
‘The more commonality we can drive into these kind of human-machine interfaces, the better it is for the operator to quickly pick up what the situational awareness is, whatever aspect he’s looking at, whether it’s helm control, radar pictures, whatever.’
