News that USS Truxtun and USNS Supply collided during a Replenishment at Sea (UNREP/RAS) near South America has, predictably, triggered a wave of instant commentary. Much of it pointing fingers at “crew incompetence” before any investigation has even begun.
Two personnel were injured, thankfully only minor, and both ships have continued under their own power.
As someone who has stood at the con of a Supply‑class ship during an UNREP (perhaps the only 🇬🇧 to have done) I find the knee‑jerk criticism deeply disappointing and, frankly, uninformed, notwithstanding the well publicised challenges of the US Navy’s seamanship standards in recent years.
UNREP as 🇺🇸 prefer to call it is one of the most demanding evolutions at sea. It is not a casual manoeuvre. It is a controlled, high‑risk ballet performed by two moving steel structures, each displacing thousands of tonnes, connected by tensioned lines, hoses, and human coordination. Even in perfect conditions, the margin for error is slim.
Hydrodynamics don’t care about your plan or training. Bow cushion, suction, interaction; these forces change subtly & rapidly as ships close to 10s of metres of separation.
Even experienced bridge teams feel the ship “move under them” in ways simulators can’t fully replicate. Swell patterns, wind shifts, & currents can create asymmetrical forces that require constant, minute corrections. A half‑second of delay in response can translate into metres of lateral movement.
UNREP is a partnership. Both bridges must anticipate, communicate, and react in harmony. A single misjudged correction, on either side, can cascade quickly. Throw in the fatigue of lengthy deployments & these evolutions, in busy operational theatres, and under pressure to maintain readiness become a receipe for risk.
The assumption that a collision must equal incompetence betrays a lack of understanding of naval operations. The crews involved are trained, certified, drilled, and assessed relentlessly.
When something goes wrong, it is almost always because multiple factors aligned, not because someone “mucked up.”
Instead of defaulting to blame, as is so often the case, the professional conversation should focus on what opportunities to avoid recurrence can be leveraged from this incident.
Having been an exchange officer in a Supply‑class ship, I can say this with confidence: UNREP is one of the most technically demanding evolutions any mariner will ever execute and the men and women of the US Military Sealift Command are second only to the UK RFA in their skill at delivering it.
The trade of replenishing at sea requires precision, teamwork, and nerves of steel. Even when everything is done correctly, the sea can still surprise you. Supply class ships are powerful, big beasts, but they’re also ageing technology and sometimes things go wrong.
Let’s see what caused it, before we presume…
Two US Navy ships collide near South America https://lnkd.in/eGPfCnJp
