Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!lethe!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!rutgers!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: lcline%sequent.uucp@RELAY.CS.NET (Larry Cline) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: WHat happened to USS Stark (was Re: Anti-Balistic Missiles Now) Message-ID: <1990Dec20.015451.28228@cbnews.att.com> Date: 20 Dec 90 01:54:51 GMT References: <1990Dec7.011307.474@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Beaverton, Oregon Lines: 42 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Larry Cline In article <1990Dec18.015631.5431@cbnews.att.com> PAISLEY%auvm.auvm.edu@VM1.gatech.edu writes: >In article <1990Dec15.012050.13269@cbnews.att.com>, jtchew@csa2.lbl.gov >(JOSEPH T CHEW) says: [various Q&A removed] > >>* Why didn't the CIWS acquire and fire on the missile? >CIWS is a great system, sometimes too great. Its radar sometimes makes >mistakes from being too sensitive. Because of all the other non-threat >traffic in the Gulf area, CIWS was turned off to avoid shooting a good >guy or innocent passer-by. Since no threat was imminent, there was no >reason to have it on. Of course, in retrospect, it is easy for armchair >admirals to say it should have been on full auto, but that's hindsight. Perhaps too good is right. We were docked behind two FFG's, one outboard of the other. The inboard FFG was working on its Phalanx with the ammo links off. The word was passed to all hands on their boats (and ours) to stay off the fantails. To test the tracking and motors they would throw a tin can about 1-2 feet in front of the barrel. The Phanlax would track it and you could here the motors for the barrels whining. For those of you versed in tracking small objects at close range you realize how fast this thing was swinging around. At one point the CO of the outboard ship decided to board and to get to his boat he crossed the first, ignoring the warnings of the OOD and QMOW on the quarterdeck of both ships. Needless to say, the Phalanx tracked him and scared him out of his wits (They had re-engaged the barrels but not put the ammo links up to it). Everybody had a good laugh and he learned not to ignore safety warnings. Larry -- Larry Cline lcline@sequent.sequent.com lcline@crg8.sequent.com ".sig! Contractors don't need no stinkin' .sig!!!"