In mere minutes an awesome f**king day goes awesomely f**kingly wrong

This footage shot on board the Ady Gil shows the few minutes leading up to the collision with the Shonan Maru 2. A couple of things worth noting:

• Those above decks on the Ady Gil are well aware of the Shonan Maru 2 throughout.


• The Ady Gil's driver, sitting in an enclosed cockpit with very limited visibility to the sides and none to the rear, was probably unaware of the Shonan Maru 2 until the LRAD was turned on and even then he probably could not see the Japanese vessel.


• Crews on both vessels should have been calculating to determine if a Constant Bearing Decreasing Range situation existed -- that is, if a collision was imminent due to closing distance at constant bearing (this is not always readily apparent on the open ocean). No matter who has the right of way both vessels should attempt to maneuver to avoid a collision. That said, given the speed and maneuverability differences of the two vessels only sheer stupidity on the part of the Ady Gil's crew could cause an open ocean collision.


• The Shonan Maru 2 is underway throughout; it is therefore a lie to claim that the Japanese vessel "suddenly started up and deliberately rammed the Ady Gil".


• With a collision looking increasingly likely the Ady Gil has plenty of time to maneuver but does not do so.


• The Shonan Maru 2 does not appear to turn into the Ady Gil and no one says anything to indicate that the Japanese vessel intends to ram them -- you might expect a remark like "hey, the bastard's turning into us", for example.


• Screaming "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" will not stop a 491 ton vessel that's only meters away even if it's moving at only 11 knots.