Comments on: Topo Giglio https://habitablezone.com/2012/01/19/topo-giglio/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:41:18 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2012/01/19/topo-giglio/#comment-11008 bowser Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:44:10 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=8255#comment-11008 Apparently the guy was under the influence of some substance and hot-rodding for the benefit of his crew. A commanding officer with the same attitude crashed a B-52 at Fairchild AFB a while back. http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=maSOexmmF8s Apparently the guy was under the influence of some substance and hot-rodding for the benefit of his crew.

A commanding officer with the same attitude crashed a B-52 at Fairchild AFB a while back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=maSOexmmF8s

]]> By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2012/01/19/topo-giglio/#comment-11006 TB Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:23:47 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=8255#comment-11006 Good info. Thanks! Good info. Thanks!

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2012/01/19/topo-giglio/#comment-11004 ER Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:22:55 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=8255#comment-11004 EDITED ( added my "Crow".) PS: 90 day wonder? I was in the Navy for about 90 days when I got promoted to Third Class Petty Officer, (Quartermaster Third Class, to be precise). I had trained myself with correpondence courses and by volunteering on my own time to get my Practical Factors signed off (On-the-Job- Training). I only had 10 months experience on the bridge when I left the Navy, so I certainly was not an "expert". But I knew the day I started standing watches the proper procedure for planning and executing what should have been a routine deviation from a planned course. Unless I have been misled by not having all the facts, what it looks like is that this guy was really reckless, or totally negligent. Mere incompetence can't explain this accident. Even navigating a small sailboat, you know to glance at the chart and make sure a course change won't send you into the rocks. And if you're not sure about the rocks, you stand well offshore, just in case. <img src="http://images.qmss.com/images/qm3_small.gif" alt=".." /> EDITED ( added my “Crow”.) PS: 90 day wonder? I was in the Navy for about 90 days when I got promoted to Third Class Petty Officer, (Quartermaster Third Class, to be precise). I had trained myself with correpondence courses and by volunteering on my own time to get my Practical Factors signed off (On-the-Job- Training). I only had 10 months experience on the bridge when I left the Navy, so I certainly was not an “expert”. But I knew the day I started standing watches the proper procedure for planning and executing what should have been a routine deviation from a planned course. Unless I have been misled by not having all the facts, what it looks like is that this guy was really reckless, or totally negligent. Mere incompetence can’t explain this accident.

Even navigating a small sailboat, you know to glance at the chart and make sure a course change won’t send you into the rocks. And if you’re not sure about the rocks, you stand well offshore, just in case.

..

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2012/01/19/topo-giglio/#comment-11003 ER Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:06:09 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=8255#comment-11003 In the US, most merchant ship's masters work their way up the ranks, they rarely come from a military background. They may have gone to the Merchant Marine Academy at King's Point, but they are well-prepared by training, examination, and time in grade regulations administered by the Coast Guard. On American naval vessels, most nautical duties are carried out by subordinate officers, even the navigation is done by enlisted men, under officer supervision. US Navy officers are rarely fully qualified all-around seamen, although they may be experts in one particular field, like engineering, communications, gunnery, etc. In the US Navy, captains are trained in navigation and seamanship, and they are exposed to it on the job, but they are primarily administrators by the time they are given their own ship. The US Navy has a deliberate philosophy of producing well-rounded generalists, as opposed to highly specialized experts. The real tech experts are senior enlisted men. However, in the merchant service, US skippers have an excellent reputation. In other countries, I just don't know. Still I can't imagine a company owning a ship like that entrusting it to someone who was barely qualified. Incidentally, captain is a general term for the master of a vessel, the skipper. In the military, the master may have some other rank, depending on the size and mission of the ship. My destroyer leader was commanded by a Commander (O-5). Smaller ships may have a Lieutenant Commander (O-4) or Lieutenant (O-3) in command. Full Captains (O-6) are either running a capital ship like a carrier or cruiser, a squadron of ships, or have administrative duties ashore. An Army Captain is a relatively junior rank, equivalent to a Navy Lieutenant. A Navy Captain is a big shot, comparable to an Army full Colonel. The Navy ranks are Ensign (O-1), Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2), Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Captain, and three levels of Admiral (O-7 through 9)above that. In the US, most merchant ship’s masters work their way up the ranks, they rarely come from a military background. They may have gone to the Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point, but they are well-prepared by training, examination, and time in grade regulations administered by the Coast Guard. On American naval vessels, most nautical duties are carried out by subordinate officers, even the navigation is done by enlisted men, under officer supervision. US Navy officers are rarely fully qualified all-around seamen, although they may be experts in one particular field, like engineering, communications, gunnery, etc.

In the US Navy, captains are trained in navigation and seamanship, and they are exposed to it on the job, but they are primarily administrators by the time they are given their own ship. The US Navy has a deliberate philosophy of producing well-rounded generalists, as opposed to highly specialized experts. The real tech experts are senior enlisted men.

However, in the merchant service, US skippers have an excellent reputation. In other countries, I just don’t know. Still I can’t imagine a company owning a ship like that entrusting it to someone who was barely qualified.

Incidentally, captain is a general term for the master of a vessel, the skipper. In the military, the master may have some other rank, depending on the size and mission of the ship. My destroyer leader was commanded by a Commander (O-5). Smaller ships may have a Lieutenant Commander (O-4) or Lieutenant (O-3) in command. Full Captains (O-6) are either running a capital ship like a carrier or cruiser, a squadron of ships, or have administrative duties ashore. An Army Captain is a relatively junior rank, equivalent to a Navy Lieutenant. A Navy Captain is a big shot, comparable to an Army full Colonel.

The Navy ranks are Ensign (O-1), Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2), Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Captain, and three levels of Admiral (O-7 through 9)above that.

]]> By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2012/01/19/topo-giglio/#comment-10997 TB Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:58:21 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=8255#comment-10997 Used to be that Air Force pilots had a large turnover into the civilian airline industry. This isn't as true now as it once was (my brother, who flew C-5s, didn't become an airline pilot). I don't know the facts here, but I wonder if there didn't used to be a career path from naval command to commercial liners? And maybe, as with the Air Force career path, this isn't so much the case now? Lack of experience? A short biography can be found in <a href="http://www.wfmz.com/news/Francesco-Schettino-Cruise-ship-captain-in-troubled-waters/-/121458/8280326/-/blyn3iz/-/index.html" rel="nofollow">this article.</a> This is just opinion, since I'm not familiar with the training, but to me there's just a whiff of "90-day-wonder" in there. Used to be that Air Force pilots had a large turnover into the civilian airline industry. This isn’t as true now as it once was (my brother, who flew C-5s, didn’t become an airline pilot).

I don’t know the facts here, but I wonder if there didn’t used to be a career path from naval command to commercial liners? And maybe, as with the Air Force career path, this isn’t so much the case now? Lack of experience?

A short biography can be found in this article.

This is just opinion, since I’m not familiar with the training, but to me there’s just a whiff of “90-day-wonder” in there.

]]> By: Jody https://habitablezone.com/2012/01/19/topo-giglio/#comment-10996 Jody Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:41:12 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=8255#comment-10996 Wasn't referring to alcohol. Wasn’t referring to alcohol.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2012/01/19/topo-giglio/#comment-10995 ER Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:40:39 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=8255#comment-10995 Well, drinking wine with the 1st class passengers is part of his job. Well, drinking wine with the 1st class passengers is part of his job.

]]> By: Jody https://habitablezone.com/2012/01/19/topo-giglio/#comment-10994 Jody Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:32:05 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=8255#comment-10994 Truthfully ER I think the guy was on something. I am serious. Truthfully ER I think the guy was on something.

I am serious.

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