No Confidence

[Riley Smith]

So a commander in the USN got relieved because of no confidence. Could it just be optics because of the pic of him shooting a M-16 with the scope backwards?? That MIGHT tend to make one question your confidence. So, no commanding a carrier for THIS one! My thanks for his service, of whatever quality. That's just it, humans are the most mistake prone critters walking the planet.

I remember finding about REAL leadership on the relief line. They put wet-behind-the-ears Ford on that project. Probably because you throw someone in the pool and see if they can swim and he did good for a while. On an intricate and difficult job, because work on the relief header was a good way to get dead. And it required co-ordination with everyone that tied into the relief header, or half the oil refinery. And no, we can't do without it and you can route into the OTHER relief header via a jump-over line, until it is over, and we'll keep a close eye on it so we don't overpressure the huge line with a massive upset. So a section was down and they were having real trouble cleaning it up because....it's a relief header and it has EVERYTHING in it. Big pipe...maybe 70 inch. SO they were using steam to melt the dregs out of the line, venting it in strategic places and blowing the bad away. Until they decided to shut the steam in on the quarter-mile long line.

Which was NOW smoking hot. (LOTS of steam). Ford took a break and rode to the control room to do the things humans need to do. Meanwhile, a shower of rain developed and headed in off the gulf. Just a tiny shower, one that would cool the line faster than it could gulp air to compensate. Yes it did, it COLLASPED. 70" of elevated pipe line  like a smashed can. They said he sat and cried and I can imagine so, weeping that he had done all he could and now was looking at not being employed. But it didn't happen. Things were so much different than he imagined, because the management just backed up, got a plan together, and started fixing the problem.

Stuff happens. I always commended whoever made THAT decision because he was a real leader. I never actually knew who it was, either. We had to make the initial cut of the repair with a water jet because the line STILL wasn't clean and we couldn't use hot work. Ah well, me best wishes to that man. Despite the optics, he studied, applied himself, and led, and he deserves credit for that. They both got bit. It happens.

[Wayne Howard]

You mean like this, Riley? For the rest of you, DON'T Blink or you'll miss it.

We used water in the distillation columns to clean them for maintenance. Product was water soluble so we recovered as much as possible then water washed the columns. Ran the columns on water then drained and ran them on water again several times until the product ppm was within safe(r) limits. Special attention was devoted to STOPPING the procedure just to prevent this from happening.

[Riley Smith]

LOL...pretty much just like that. That job was a nightmare. I stayed until the crumpled piece hit the ground. It was over then...nothing to do but put the new piece in. I don't remember how they made the tie-in. Maybe welded a flange on the old piece with a gas dam and injected nitrogen to render it inflammable. Lots of tricks of the trade involved to keep the genie at bay. Lesson learned. You can run a refinery with everything BUT a relief line. (It needed replacing ANYWAY).

[Norm L.]

Interesting video. An expensive class to show users what not to do. Everybody wisely at a distance.
That could be a rail car prototype. A show and tell before adding expensive trucks

[Charles Brennan]

So a commander in the USN got relieved because of no confidence.

Riley, One of the problems is that the USN is top-heavy with qualified officers.
As a result, they got Captains that there are not enough boats around to command.  This REALLY keeps everybody on their toes, since even the most minor screw-up can cost you, your command.
Just like that guy.
That's why nowadays, Officers drill and drill it into the crews to come find them for anything, no matter how trivial.

One guy's opinion,
Charles Brennan

[Riley Smith]

A backstabbers paradise CB!!! Having bled and seen the bloodletting, that was the first thing I thought.

Man, I'm so glad those thoughts no longer intrude upon my psyche! I feel for those that have to deal with it, which is pretty much everyone that works, in some fashion or another. I was disgusted when I found out one of them did it to me. The snake is still around, too, but I've got an advantage now. I know he's a snake.

 No worries anymore though, as I'm beginning to like not having a job and I'm scheming to keep that situation JUST LIKE IT IS    And so far I haven't run a submarine into a seamount or ran over some freighter with a billion dollar destroyer with every navigational bell and whistle known to mankind. Actions that DEFINITELY will get you a no confidence vote. I wonder who votes on these things anyway? Is it some clique or a bunch of jolly old officers at the pub? Why don't we have keelhauling and hanging from the yardarms anymore? We could televise it on the secret wifi one of the chiefs set up on a destroyer!

Yep, if you want to see some mistakes, just follow someone around and take notes. I made two or three today myself. I try and be on my toes and watch out for that woman that follows me around all the time, too. She'll catch 'em, yesiree!!!!! And can catalogue them from MONTHS and YEARS ago. A no confidence vote from THAT one carries more weight than ANY admiral 

 ROFLOL. OK...joking over. I'm all back to normal now.

 No....My normal, not NORMAL 

[Norm L.]

You've got it Charles. Read Crimes of Command; The United States Navy 1945-2015 by Michael Junge.
It goes through every major loss and the consequences for commanders. So many results are based on politics.
There is also the point that the officers who won at sea during WWII did things that are no longer accepted.

[Riley Smith]

  I have no confidence in super carriers. I would disperse airpower into the more nimble and numerous landing platforms that weren't considered flagships.  Which they probably have already done, after I noticed a headline that we didn't have any carriers in the Pacific. Along with arm every Tom, Dick, and Harry with drones capable of making a difference, and send along a couple of Aegis systems for escort. There are troubles WITH those flagships, as a couple are out for FIVE YEARS while vital components getting replaced. FIVE YEARS! Trillions of dollars sitting like a duck. They need a shutdown planner! What I think is happening is that those big super carriers are a huge drain on the payroll, and if you can cover with helicopter ships, you can save operating costs of TWO SUPERCARRIERS. You have a capable drone platform too, although without catapults.

Yes, that F-35 was VERY expensive, but it's paying off now. Imagine....a ship-capable VTOL fighter made of the same stuff that a certain ally flew all over Iran without getting noticed.