US Navy to dump touchscreen steering, throttle controls on safety grounds
Mechanical links to steering and throttle are now preferred over electronic ones, the US Navy saysThe US Navy will dump “overly complex” touchscreens and revert to manual controls for its warships after it was found that complicated electronics had contributed to a collision rather than helped to avoid it.
The move relates to a 2017 collision between the US Navy destroyer the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker off Singapore.
A US National Transportation Safety Board inquiry into the crash found that “ insufficient training, inadequate bridge operating procedures and a lack of operational oversight” had contributed to the crash.
“As the John S McCain entered the Singapore Strait, steering and thrust were being controlled by a single watchstander – the helmsman – from the helm station,” the NTSB report into the crash reads.
“The commanding officer directed the lee helm station be manned as well and the crew took actions intended to transfer propeller thrust control from the helm to the lee helm station.
"Percieved" loss of steering
“The NTSB concluded that during the process of shifting thrust control, a John S McCain watchstander unintentionally transferred control of steering from the helm to the lee helm station which resulted in a perceived loss of steering by the John S McCain’s helmsman, however, steering control was available at all times in the accident sequence.
“The NTSB further concluded the unintentional transfer was possible because the system was being operated in backup manual mode, which removed a safeguard against inadvertent transfer of steering control.”
The move to replace the touchscreens with physical controls comes after the sailors running the ships told navy command that they preferred mechanical systems over the electronic ones, US Naval Institute News said.
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
