Captain Explains Why They Crashed
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- In Early 2021 the 77m/253ft SuperYacht Go Crashed in St Maarten. This is the Captain's response to what happened and the possible cause.
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As a former Swedish naval officer on missilevessels I totally agree with the captain’s decision.
In Sweden we have a saying: “Aim for something cheap” 😃
But as you said: “Safety first”
🇸🇪
Love those old "slogans" Mr. Hfstrom... wisdom at it's best!!! : )
"Aim for something cheap"! Damn, that's FUNNY...
Anything from IKEA then!
@@christiano8088 or FORD
"Don't hit the shiny stuff."
Sounds to me like the owner of Go has one of the best captains in the industry. Kudos to him and Captain Johnson.
No doubt the Captain is very experienced he did his Best to land the vessel inthe right place.Ihad thesame problem with a large container vessel going in port of Ancona Italy malfunction of the engines automation not cranking astern at all.We avoided a disaster. Yes too much electronics not good. The investigation will clear the Captain.Wish him the best!!!!!!....El Capitan.....
😂😂😂😂sounds like you and the owner do to much coke!!
Sounds like a very seasoned Captain stayed calm, assessed his options, and made the right decision to limit loss in a sure loss situation. Well done!
With no control he could run over a small boat, hit another boat with people on board and what not. Since he lost major control there was only one option. Stop the vessel and don't wait which he knew as an experienced captain can lead to bigger issues. Using the dock as a "brake" was the best decision i guess.
100 percent his fault
All in 13 seconds.
@@macbook802Computer malfunctions are the capitan's fault? You've lost your mind if you had one.
I teared up when you gave the owner's opinion and backing of captain' and his split-second decisions. He is an angel.
I have sailed with Captain Johnson on a similar sized vessel, and his maneuvering skills are simply amazing. He has experience not only with motor yachts, but also with sail yachts, and the experience combination shows. He is always thinking way ahead of the vessel.
Cool.
We need more people like you coming forward who knows this Captain.
He didn't think ahead of the vessel here, because then he would have stayed at the pier, or maybe get a tug.
@@captainb6104 smh
@@KeepItReal2024 do you have a problem to understand that Captain Johnsen lost and the vessel won? He ended up in a situation where the people at the dock, the ship, and the environment was all put in danger, and only by luck of circumstances things didn't end worse. There was a technical issue onboard that he was not prepared to handle.
In my personal opinion as a retired mechanical engineer, people are far too quick to condemn a well seasoned Captain before all the facts are presented. Always, wait and hear ALL the facts and if nothing else, the Captains length of service and extensive record affords him an extended period of latitude. I for one am on his side.
How about the captain of the Titanic ? Lets not be too hasty in absolving the captain either.
Wait until the computers on a self driving car fail
@@robertfrost1683 there's nothing that makes those two similar.
I find it extremely distressing why people won’t take responsibility for there actions
Well,said.
I am not crew, never been aboard a vessel of the Go's size. But as a man whom has lived over 70 years and who has been in many situations, I am impressed by the Captain's skill, knowledge and reaction speed. He had seconds, and made the correct choices.
It's amazing that when a plane gets into trouble everyone says what a hero the captain is yet when something similar happens in a luxury yacht people start criticising the captain instead of thinking that perhaps something technical or mechanical has gone wrong and the captain has done an exceptional job in minimising the damage. Great review Tristan and very well explained.
Hero or not, aircraft captains are retired by force after an incident like the Hudson miracle. I think the real question is, why are we not giving these experts in their field the benefit of the doubt? It comes down to manufacturer's or companies not wanting to take responsibility for their liability. It's easier for them to blame it on the little guy.
The reason is that this is a luxury yacht. No one likes super rich people's toys destroying public property.
I have to say he acted as he felt was the best call, we were not there so he avoided any accidents or casualties well done Captain Simon 👍👍👍
Thank you for this. As a good friend of the Captain I appreciate your input. I have known this Captain over 40 years.
If I was the owner of this yacht he would still be employed also I would also make sure he would be able to override all computer systems as needed or all at once. Never trust any computers 100% yes use them when they do work it is 99% correct depends what the person enters in them and 100% accurate on the computer response output. it's man-made and man-made things fail.
Operators of boats and ships, large and small, recognize that there is always the possibility of critical mechanical failure at the most inopportune time. The ability to respond calmly and quickly can be the difference between an okay outcome and a terrible outcome. In my opinion, Captain Johnson did very well.
Except it appears the mechanical systems worked fine. They rammed the dock, then backed up. Control systems are where the "malfunction" or hack is.
i have never commented on anything on any youtube site ect. This guy did best period!!!! He had no loss of life no loss of sea life all other can be fixed. How can I hire this guy?? That is not a lie!!
The man who is paid the big bucks to make a decision earned his money. End
gobba-gool
He should have stopped engines when the vessel hit the pontoon the first time, assessed any damage and any electronic or mechanical malfunction before reversing, then and only then should the vessel be reversed. The investigation must/should
show this. Common sense. Even the most experienced of us make silly mistakes.
@@7755ian1 I think that's a easy call for us to make expos-facto but the man on the ground had to make the decision in real time and I think he did a good job achieving the best outcome available.
@yer man you do realize if he killed his engines there is a good chance he would have also lost all hydraulics including anchor and steering controls plus the chance of reduceing many emergency functions, nevermind this wreck lasted how long??? Things move fast, hindsight is always 2020.
Hydraulics power provided by auxillary pump without main engines from generators. Manufacturer must have thought of that one. If not then it would have remained stationary in what was left of pontoon and not tried a second run.....
I’m horrified to learn about no manual override. So this should be the breaking point of excessive bridge computerization.
well, this is going to scare you.. aircraft manufacturers and startups are currently testing pilotless airplanes that are controlled solely by a computer.
@@flytheskies7232 That’s a scary thing for sure.
@@flytheskies7232 Most modern passenger aircraft are already largely controlled by computer. Human pilots are present in the cockpit primarily to take off and land the aircraft (even though the computers are capable of doing so) as a nod to the human fear of "automated" aircraft.
@@ericperkins3078 In Dubai and other busy cities they only take off, judge over, under or around weather all the pilots have to do in landing is put the brakes on and taxi
@@flytheskies7232 Most military aircraft would be incapable of flying without a computer - fbw and computer control has been shown to be incredibly safe, does this mean that all computer control systems are foolproof - No. Fixating on having a mechanical override or supposed backup can create more problems than it solves. The point is to have a well designed system that will work.
Great video Tristan. I read the article yesterday but you really brought it to life! I couldn’t agree more about the need for shipyards to embrace feedback and suggestions from Captains!
Not seen you post any videos for awhile The last one I only saw half of it and could not see any more because it got sent to private
Captains don't buy Super Yachts, the yards gives the owner what they want, and pay for.
@@Derffee treuuuu
As a designer I can tell you that I myself always push to put "manual override" on all yachts, but I also push for better and more easy and more natural controls for the manuvering of the vessel, but the industry is too slow to adopt new tecnologies and also captains I speak to, they dont seem to feel confident with the new tecnologies... they feel like they are losing control of the vessel giving it to a computer... But from my experience, computers make sailing safer.
@@MrChrisCube as a designer of yachts how do you relate to SOLAS regulations during the design process?
Captain Johnson plain and simple showed his experience in minimizing what could have been an utter disaster.
40 years on the job and for some freak accident like this to even remotely blemish his reputation....is simply preposterous.
The owner can (and surely is) proud of having such a master running his vessel.
Tristan, I agree 100% with you and the captain of "Go." I think he made te absulute correct decision to "put" the yacht into the wooden dock to minimilaise damage. This is a bad situation well handeled. No one could have done better!
Minimumilize... Minimumilize.... Supposably...
Well, the programmers (or technician installing hardware?) could've done better.
There are rarely “good” decisions when things go wrong - only “RIGHT” decisions under the circumstances. Seems like he made the only right decision available to him.
Very interesting take on events that occur when everything goes to shit.
My first job was working with Captain Johnson. Years later he is still my absolute favorite Captain I have ever worked with. He taught me to navigate with a Sexton, this guy knows his stuff. Safety was a huge priority onboard, drills were a constant part of daily life. He made the best decision he could.
In 2005, BC Ferries in Vancouver had a $0.20 cotter pin break causing the engine to rev up unexpectedly, and the ferry crashed into the dock.
Sometimes it is the smallest least expensive part or a software glitch that can cause so much damage.
The Captain did exactly what he needed to do. Everyone should be proud of the minor damage. It could have been much worse, as you said at the beginning. Looking forward to the MAIB report.
Thank you so much for walking us through his report. It frustrates me so much when the arm chair critics jump in with their comments. Having your calm, logical and educated presentation, helps encourage people to learn and think things through.
Retired 20 yr oil field utility boat Captain here. The way it looks the Go's Capt deserves a commendation from St Maarten. Thank you Captain for an excellent analysis of the facts as we know them. Happily subscribed.
The Captain did absolutely the right thing, as a Chief Engineer who has shipped for 22 years. I would sail with Captain Johnson anywhere, anytime ! He made the right decision.
I think the captain acted perfectly in the situation and I feel did the absolute best decision and created the least amount of issue by that decision. Congrats for him truly!! Best wishes to all boaters
Microscope needs to turn onto the shipyard.
Imagine running a 100 million dollar vessel when your unsure now if it will slow, turn etc. on command.
Such an impressive story. I'm a private pilot. I run scenarios all the time and think of procedures in emergencies. But everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the face. This Captain kept his head clear and won the fight.
I'll save everyone 20 minutes.
Computer Glitch caused the accident. Design flaw not the Captains fault.
Sounds very logical, glad it wasn’t on my shoulders.
Microsoft . . . . . . .
@@easternwoods4378 was that the first time computer malfunction or it's happened before?
Should have an emergency manual override as they do on aircraft!
He made a gutsy call, with little time to decide. IMO, and limited sea experience, I think he made the right one. I agree about the silliness of fully automated ship systems. Captain Johnson did good.
His Boss deserves that boat: _what an honorable, noble gentleman_
I am a boat owner, not a yacht, just a motor boat the size of a tender for skiing and recreational and fishing. I cant even imagine having a computer operating it. The engine is an inboard V-8, and quite powerful, and it has a brain, which I guess can be classed a computer ruining the engine functions. As far as having a computer operating the boat, and not being able to size up the environment such as high wind or heavy waves. I couldn't trust a computer, or trust a self automated vehicle of any sort. This Go, captain did his best to compete against automation, and as I watched this video I pictured the 737 MAX planes that also fought against the pilot''s. I agree with your stand on this issue. Automation should serve at command of the pilot and not argue with them.
“ I’m sorry Dave, I can’t let you do that” Arthur C. Clarke called it in 1968.
@@boataxe4605 Right on sir.
@@ronniedelahoussayechauvin6717 A book and movie titled ‘2001 a space odyssey’ in which a computer takes over the control of a spaceship.
Was waiting for your commentary, not disappointed, thank you.
As a software developer, I always feel these issues come up because testing doesn't seem to be a very high priority. It is all about getting features out to the stakeholders. If you are taking the time doing extensive testing, you aren't producing shiny new things for stakeholders to ooh and ah over. The question is, how do you take this decision away from project managers? Could also be pressure from product owners to get a product released in a hurry.
I think this kind of software should be regulated the same kind of way avionics are, with detailed certification and proof
As a PO it can be extremely challenging to meet a clients requirements when they are threatening to cancel contracts etc. if features are not released asap. Including their feature creep. Working as a go between with the client and project managers while still working towards product vision can be like juggling a few dozen balls at the same time. I strongly believe that the first priority of a PO should be to ensure that work is slowed as much as possible to allow as much testing as possible and to release stress from developers. I work on a 200% over estimate development headroom for all work performed on my product to sure we have a minimum of 70% meaningful code coverage with unit tests and that all code is reviewed by both a junior developer (to learn new techniques, technologies etc.) and a senior developer before a pull request can be merged. Then it goes through three rounds of testing with different approaches before being released for client UAT. This is a solid approach for us and very few issues fall through the cracks. Due to the nature of the product and because lives and the environment depend upon our software working it’s critical for us to go slow. Fast development is bad for everybody, bad for the developer, bad for the product, bad for the clients. Slow development is good for the developers, good for the product but can be frustrating for the client at times however that’s where the PMs and PO have to step up and do their job with client management and assure them that they will get a better product in the end.
The reality is all software has bugs even those that are tested as seldom are the specifications for development so fine tuned that a testers knows all the features. A developer will put in if then statements and all sorts of logic code that a testers has no idea are there. Most cars have recals and Tesla cars which have high engineering are software patched when users find bugs.
Excellent video. Computer technology is relatively new in the grand scheme of things. Consider how often our own personal computers, smartphones, etc. experience software glitches, no system is immune. I think the captain did an outstanding job minimizing the overal impact of the incident.
Since my ship handling experience is limited to paddling a kayak, I'll leave the split second decisions to those with far superior experience. Its interesting to hear the thought processes that went into the chosen course of action, kudos to the Captain in minimizing risk and damage.
Captain Johnson deserves a commendation. He probably saved a few lives , and marine environment. Until someone is master of a large vessel on the water , they don't realize how they travel . This seems to be nothing short of remarkable seamanship.
I think calling him a life saver is a little bit much. It would have been pretty hard to manage to kill someone in a situation like this, but I agree with the rest of what you said.
What nonsense! He crashed a big boat into the dock. Reversed, then crashed it again. I guess you missed that part LOL.
Great up date. The captain did what he was trained to do. A large bonus check and 2 weeks off with the owners credit card for the whole crew.
lol not even close. the captain will be having interview after interrogations till the insurance company pays out and then it will be on his record. no 40 year rebate for you!!!
Totally agree. As an airline captain your analogy was spot on. Sometimes we have to make decisions that are the choice between bad and worse. Technology can throw us curve balls and this captain was thinking critically before ever getting into the situation. I also happen to have my own boat (just a 34’ sailing vessel) and I’ve been around boats and the marine environment my entire 60 year life so I’m somewhat familiar with how things can pile up and go wrong on the water. Excellent job on his part in my opinion.
This is why Captain Johnson is a Captain. I know nothing about sailing but everything you and Captain Johnson have stated makes logical sense to me. If I owned a super motor yacht I would not hesitate to employ Captain Johnson. He deserves praise for his professional duty and extremely quick thinking. Well done Captain Johnson.
I'm going to chip in some stuff my Dad used to tell me - he spent most of his life at Sea (i have no experience there myself).
1) I once said to him 'How come these things only happen at the worst possible moment?' (he had a lot of hairy stories about various things going wrong) - He thought about it for a minute and said 'It actually happens a lot more than you'd think but if you're 10 miles out at Sea, with no one close and you have room to sort stuff out it just gets dealt with and you probably don't even think of it a week later - it's only when the you-know-what really hits the fan that everyone is still talking about it ten years later!'
2) On the Captains Reputation - One of Dad's favorite sayings was 'One "OHHH SH*T!!!" wipes out a million "Atta Boy's"'. He felt it was particularly applicable to a Captain. Unfortunately for Captain Johnson even if it is proven beyond doubt that he did everything right he will still have this accident on his record and there will be owners who don't look into the details and will still hold it against him if he is ever looking for a new job.
3) On the way computers are being implemented in the modern world I do have experience of my own - I've worked in software QA for 25+ years. I HATE the way computerization is being forced into everything - Cars, Airplanes, Ships, Yachts - you name it. The sophistication of these computer systems is reaching insane levels - How do you test all the possible combinations of circumstance that might actually come up in the real world? Truth is you Can't. System QA can only ever test for issues that the designers can think of - in the real world where a piece of hardware fails in an unexpected way and sends an unexpected signal it can have all sorts of weird effects that no one ever imagined.
Another point specifically on the computers on Yachts - each yacht is more or less bespoke. They might build a half dozen to the same basic design but they are not mass produced. So what does that mean for testing computer systems installed on board? You might have a general system (and software) you install, but it probably won't be 100% custom to that yacht. That means each yacht will have a general system that is installed differently in every Yacht it is installed on. It might work fine in most yachts and then have problems because the computers are installed somewhere too hot or too damp in another. Then you have the usual problem with building a Yacht. Its almost always rushed and that means system testing is too. From what I've read there is always 'Warranty Work' when a new yacht is delivered. You better believe that when you have a system installed with 10+ computers you are going to have installation issues and bugs.
With something like a 737 you have 1 system installed in 1 model of airplane and spend YEARS bashing that system to try and find all the bugs - and the recent Boeing debacle shows how that can still go very pear shaped when you cut corners. Try testing a generic system in a unique hull and see how much more difficult it can get.
As someone with a background in QA I can only say I agree 110% with Tristan - there needs to be manual backups where the Crew can take control.
Sorry, comment rambled on a bit. Hope someone finds it interesting :)
Thank you and your dad! It was interesting indeed.
Thank you for your insightful comment. I agree with everything you said, especially on the nature of software and hardware on airplanes. (I am a Boeing 787 pilot). The only thing I would point out is the rare case when an incident or accident mad someone famous, and Tristan mentioned him, was Captain Sully and the Miracle on the Hudson. He did everything as well as his training and experience would allow and was rewarded with a little more than 15 minutes of fame. Should the facts hold true to Captain Johnson’s version of events, I hope he is recognized for his skill and professionalism. Cheers
I agree completely.
Wait until the computers on a self driving car fail
I'd hire him any day
@@easternwoods4378 Been there. My Tesla quit on me while driving along a two lane highway. Nobody around, thank goodness. Car didn't coast very far, and all electrics were off. Dead in the middle of the lane. Fortunately, there is Tesla Mobile Service, which responded in an amazing 30 minutes. Cause for failure: a fractured cable connector, most likely present when the car was new. Replacement under warranty on the spot. She came alive then, and a reboot enabled all systems. Phew!
Probably should have named the yacht "Stop," eh? Sorry, I couldn't resist. I'll show myself out.
GO now 😂
The name was to blame.... My name is Go. I want to GO!!!!!
Very Good! 👏😆😂🤣💀
😂👍👏
Best darn Seamanship I have seen. Made the difficult calls, had excellent situational awareness. Time to retire in a hammock on the fantail of the "GO" and have Shrimp and refreshments brought to him by the crew. A true professional. As in the aviation industry, never stop flying the plane. He never stopped commanding the vessel.
Sounds like awesome decision making in a high stress situation. You did a great job covering it and adding commentary too!
When I first saw the video I thought there was some sort of malfunction, it was only thing that made sense. I just didn't know what that malfunction was. The captains hired for these billionaire superyachts tend to be among the best of the best.
I have been building and operating computer controls in marine environments most of my career. I concur, you should never put a computer as the only connection between a human and a critical control element if you can avoid it..! Also, the short video clip shows what appears to be port engine hard astern and starboard ahead at collision...
Fully agree Dave.....I work in the IT industry in break/fix services.....the reason for my presence there, still after many years, is the simple fact that software (just like hardware) can really fail unexpectedly ! It is never intended of course but a programming error f.i. that will only surface under specific circumstances is something that does exist in the real world unfortunately ! Hence...the manual override, if at all possible, depending on...........should really be in place !
Absolutely thorough explanation. Things like this are why I subscribed. Love your vids. I watch a lot of other channels. Yours is by far the best. May God keep you all safe. Thanks.
When I first heard about it and had seen the video I was sure there was a worse option but I had no idea it would have been so incredible! Kudos to the captain. Computers are trusted too much, but on a ship like this they are essential, and I cannot imagine being in his deck shoes when it went on the blink.
Well done Captain Johnson
Hello,
Speaking as a retired airline captain (both Boeing and Airbus) I am surprised that the marine equivalent of our flight control computers do not have multiple redundancies and backups built in.
Great channel. Do keep up the good work.
Cheers, Peter
Agreed. Something amiss there.
It's often custom and new for each vessel
As a recreational boaty and member of the public it is so easy to jump to conclusions but but have learned over time to understand fully the circumstances in which incidents happen. My hat goes off to the captain of this vessel to achieve the outcome he achieved. Simply quite remarkable.
This is why mob rule is almost never a good idea, a person is smart but people are dumb and quick to anger.
Sounds like he made a sound decision. That's why he's the Captain. I'd be more concerned with the failed technology aboard the Yacht.
exactly
any situation, especially with hindsight were the person can say "put in the same circumstances, i would do the same again" in my opinion should stand tall and proud, he should be given Freedom of the Town, and be an inspiration to others in the industry that the combined training and experience will pay off when needed in those few critical seconds! i for one Salute you Captain Simon
Totally agree
Great video! As a pilot, I, too, know what it is like to make tough decisions in a slipt second. It becomes an instinct. I think this is what this Captain did and it was the right one.
No one died or was critically hurt so I think he did a great job.
File under: when there is no perfect decision and you only have 13 seconds to make the best worst decision. Good job captain
Appears great decision making. I have questions the investigation needs to answer, no essential to answer. 1. The software, was there a recent update. 2. Are the computers hardwired or have a wireless connectivity. 3. Are the ships control computers on same network as the crew/passenger networks. 4. Are ship control computers isolated from outside networks. 5. Do the control computers run in series or parallel. 6. Does the software have automatic stop/shut down if there is a conflict between computers.
I think this is such a great video and explanations to people who immediately judge someone with no facts. Thanks for your detailed video
My favorite captain 👍 I get stuck listening to him talk. Explains things in a great way.
When I saw the initial video of the incident, I figured it was likely a control system malfunction. What the captain said makes total sense and he absolutely made the right decision under the circumstances.
As for software/computers, the biggest names in software that spend a lot of money on development still have bugs in them, I certainly agree with your assessment that software can malfunction.
Is there a better way of providing auxiliary control? Absolutely. Am I qualified to say what that is? Most certainly not. My suggestion would be start putting in the old cable controls in the engine control room so in a situation like this, someone can take manual control of the engines. Just my two cents of a arm chair captain.
Thank you again for the informative video.
Manual override should be on ALL computer driven vessels..only by the grace of God no one died or got hurt..
You are absolutely right Keith. I do believe in God but I must attribute the safety of all and everything concerned to the experience of the captain.
@MrAbletospeak Then who screwed up the computer?
Pretty sure “God” had nothing to do with it.
@MrAbletospeak Correct only one true God Almighty hopefully you have thanked him for being able to speak
@@rastapete100 software programer and computer glitch. Does your computer operate 100% all the time. No they at times have to be rebooted or reprogramed. I wouldn't trust them. I would like to be able to handle it manually just like having paper charts and learned how to Celestial Navigate if you have a GPS don't count on electronics.
Great respect to the captain, he reacted in the best way. few of us would have done so well and a lot of respect to you also who had not judged without knowing the malfuctions
Love yours channel Tristan
your videos are very enjoyable and informative
your owner is very lucky to have you in his employment
keep up the good work
That’s the Captain you want to hire , not the one that never had an incident happen to him .
The fact is as most of you know, in a moment like that, when the proverbial “Shit” hits the fan, the absolute worst decision one can make is to not make a decision at all. I know that sounds cliche and obvious, but the fact of the matter is that until you have gone through an experience like this you have no idea if you are someone that can and will be able to operate in the moment, stay calm and function under pressure or if you’ll simply become locked up, mouth agape, saying to yourself over and over “This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.” At the end of the day, when there are only a few seconds or meters till disaster, you can’t second guess yourself. You don’t have time to crowd source for a solution or hold a vote with the crew. Like mentioned in the video, Sully might have been able to make it to Teeterboro(we know now he absolutely couldn’t) but he didn’t know at the time. He didn’t think so, so he decided he would land on the Hudson and never looked back. So whether to use the anchor, emergency shut off, bow thruster or whatever other possibilities he might have had at his disposal at that moment, he made the call and as he saw it. And it was very probably the right and only viable option he had. I commend him and think that an incident like this can end up a positive thing in the end either through discovery of potentially fatal software errors or creating and implementing new and improved OP guidelines or just starting the conversation between yacht builders and the mariners that devote their lives and career to their vessels.
Thoroughly enjoy your vids, Tristan! Thanks for sharing.
I remember when I saw this yacht coming into the port of Monaco and thinking with that design and colour it was one of the most beautiful yachts I ever saw, hope they manage to fix everything fast so this beauty can go back to sea!
No injuries, minimal damage, no environmental disaster....give that man an award!
I own and operate a 150' yacht. I have had the same situation where my controls malfunctioned when arriving at a dock. I have an engineer standing behind the engines during all close docking situations with radio headphones on where I can instruct him to pull a manual pin and disengage the normal system and operate the controls manually with levers directly connected to the engines to overcome the problem and complete the maneuver. When did they stop putting this manual override on yachts?
Well I don't know for sure I work on ships but I will say most engines themselves are not mechanically controlled anymore so even your local operating station relies on engine electronics for engine controls. But in a restricted manuvering situation, having a local operator on station and having comms established is critical, and perhaps they did. But one would think they could have ordered a backing Bell to the engine room and stopped forward movement of the vessel.
Tristan - great review and interpretation of captains article. Keep up this great work.
You hit the nail on the head. Perfect explanation Tristan. Manufactorers in common should talk more with customers/users.
200’ yacht so computerized you can’t take manual control if the damn thing fails? That’s just STOOPID!
Flying in today's planes make me nervous for this exact same reason. We are removing it seems the potential for the crew to just fly or control these mammoth machines. Scary ....
@@goleafsgo8496 thats why those boeings where falling from the sky, failed software
Yes it is. Everything is fly by wire basically no cables, hydraulic steering from the helm it is all electrical
I am an experienced commercial pilot on fly by wire jet aircraft, I can tell you that you absolutely can “take manual control” of even the most advanced jets. Control is still electrical but it is possible to take the computer software out of the loop and go analog, stick to control surface. With multiple redundancies the electrical control is far more reliable than old cable and hydraulic systems which depend upon 100’s of feet of cable and dozens of pulleys and bellcranks all of which can fail and jam. The same benefits are possible with boat by wire systems, but only if they are properly designed. I’m guessing private yacht control certification is far less stringent than EASA/FAA. In many ways the 737 Max disaster was caused by the FAA getting lax and relying too heavily on manufacturers self-certifying. My understanding of the marine industry is that it is almost all self certification.
I spent years testing software. As soon as you mentioned that the yacht was controlled entirely by software, I just thought "He's screwed".
My thoughts exactly.
Just because you CAN automate something does not mean you SHOULD.
@@budrome4247 Yes. Wooden ships and men of steel. Cotton sails and carbon fibre spars. Steam engines, no nuclear power plant, and Rudolf Diesel was not born, yet. Square sails, or being towed by a smoking steamer. Everything was better in the past. Club the computer kids from the bridge. Realtime software is still a serious problem.
@@budrome4247 At least include a manual override. It's all ment to take the work load off the crew so they can put their energy into something more important, but it's very strange they don't have a killswitch.
Well done Captain Johnson. Oh and a well done to you Captain Tristan thanks for covering this so well.
As an IT guy and avid boater, I'll say that I never want IT systems/software not backed up by manual processes. This is a great example.
& who’s to say the anchor would have caught? And if it did, those engines may have just drug it across the bottom.
Had a similar experience back in the 80s so this is not new. The boat was less than half the size of 'Go' .. new vessel, I'd only recently brought it down from the builders in Italy and was on the fuel quay at Piraeus. Surrounded by mega-expensive yachts. Let go the lines and moved the levers into gear when the stb engine roared into max power. The bow lifted and the yacht tilted to port rapidly describing an arc across the harbour. Unlike this unlucky captain I had no decision to make, I hit both engine emergency stops and the yacht settled.
The cause was a fault in a circuit board. Computers have their place but back-ups are essential.
An experienced captain did his thing. Right instinctive action well executed in an exceptional situation. 👏🏻
As a Captain, I see this as very similar the the Boing 737 situations. It is imperative to have manual override. Otherwise the complete safety and security of vessel, crew, passengers and bystanders and at the complete mercy of the computers and there flawless performance. and yes, we are NOT consulted enough or sometimes at all when designing in the operation of the vessel.
The problem with computers is however much intelligance these yachts (like cars, planes, trains) have, it’s artificial intelligance - a computer can’t be programmed to assess every situation abs make a correct decision, or fail. For experienced captains etc like him, and you, there have got to be over rides. I’m not a sailor, but I’m amazed what you guys do. As a non-sailor, I’d get on his boat. I’d worry more if a captain was reliant on the computers even if they could be over ridden!
First! Great to hear a frank discussion of this!
Excellent analysis. Fully agree with your conclusions. Respect to the captain
Excellent video and nice analysis of the situation. I totally agree with the last part about lack of communication between designers, engineers, manufacturing and captains. With that said, do you have things that you frequently encounter that just have to be improved? The manual override you talked about in this video is an excellent example, but I'm sure you have more things you experienced that could have been prevented during the design and engineering phases.
I recently started as a system and mechanical engineer with a Yachtwarf in the Netherlands and aknowledge the importance of first hand experience and would love to learn more. This way I can at least make sure that I won't make these mistakes and educate colleagues around me.
Imagine what would happen if Schettino was a captain of that yacht.
He'd have jumped off, swinging down with that bow fender!
The best you can do is
To go out and to come back.
It is what happens in between that
Defines and determines
Your seamanship.
I like the red and green port and starboard background lighting, that's a nice touch!
Sounds like he did an awesome job making the decision he made. Nobody was hurt, no oil spillage, the bridge wasn’t damaged. I hope when I ride another ship I will have a captain on board like this captain.
Had to do what he though was best based on his experience. He gets paid to make hard decisions and he did, good job!
That's why he's a pro, and hopefully making a good wage, and why I stick to my 9meter yacht. Classy owner too. In my former trade (car, bus truck tech.) we joked the "train drivers" (engineers) should be sent out to work in the trade for a few months every year, to see what it's like fixing their creations.
As a civil engineer, I know if man can make it, it can malfunction. Murphy's law says things go wrong at the worst possible time. I'm impressed he went thru his options in such a short period of time and made the right choice - if things happened as they appear.
good explanation, hope you do another segment when the report comes out.
I'm still very confused, the captain did everything he could I acknowledge that, however surely this vessel is not class approved if it does not have manual overrides in accordance with SOLAS. " In general, automatic starting, operational and control systems shall include provisions for
manually overriding the automatic controls. Failure of any part of such systems shall not prevent the
use of the manual override"
Sounds like they had some manual control as the captain deliberately steered into the wooden dock. Maybe not enough manual control of the engines to halt the boat, but momentum might have meant the boat couldn't be stopped in time.
Dont forget momentum and time factors. On one hand, also manual controls can have a problem, on the other hand, factor of time could explain, why he wasn't able to stop the ship via main engines.
They said there was no errors showing or alarms so manual controls or a auto override would not engage as the Computers thought everything was fine. I don't work on yachts but do with computer controlled equipment and networked equipment. Errors with the computer happen all the time and usually just restarting a service is enough but that still takes time to find the issue correct the issue and have the process resume function. He had 13 seconds so he did well. Just because it is computerized doesn't mean the integration needed for 100% operation is there, the fact no alarms sounded hows the software package might not be as integrated as they thought.
Maybe it’s Time for a New Bridge.
It's time for a new bridge. The John Sainsborough Lejuez Bridge is far too narrow, for both 'mega-yachts' and the 'coasters' that do commercial business to St. Maarten - widening the passageway is long overdue with a bit of dredging, the passage is certainly wide enough for a 'wider bridge' opening...Been there...always wondered why it is so narrow - and the bridge is NOT very old, either!
30 plus year licensed marine engineer here. Have worked as chief engineer on 75 meter to 150 meter, standard fixed pitch to dynamic positioning electric. These were all commercial american built vessels. All of them had manual back up. Manual back up on the bridge, and the final manual manual back up at the engine itself. I have found that more computer control a vessel has the bridge crew has a tendency to relay heavily upon it , if it consistently works. If the computer control is consistent the other means of control are ignored . I was the CE in one casualty instance on the diesel electric dynamic positioning vessel, ended up with a grounding in a mud bank. The issue that caused that was the bridge crew did not realize what propulsion control mode they were in. The bridge crew thought they were in manual control when the DPS system still had control.
I looked at some of the specifications on GO. CAT 3516C propulsion engines . CAT C9 generators. I did not see propulsion manufacturer , but I'm sure it is a controllable pitch with a clutch system, More then likely the standard used by Rolls royce, Kongsberg and Wartsila. Those all have manual back up for pitch , clutch and engine speed.
I totally agree with you on why don’t the designers work with the people who actually run the ship? All i can think of is they view themselves as all knowing and place themselves on a pedestal. And everyone else is beneath them. I use to build boats and the stupidity behind some of the designs were unbelievable. Basic maintenance items were totally inaccessible. Never did see the designers on the shop floor. Or looking over boats while they were being built.
10:24 for the beginning of the actual explanation of what happened.
OMG...Tristan likes the sound of his own voice. This video could have been 8 minutes long. Short, sharp & succinct.
@@beazleteats4031 Seriously, they only need to be 10 minutes long to be able to customize their ad monetization
I remember my dad telling me "you don't want to own a super yacht, you want to be best friends with the guy/gal who owns a super yacht"
Good job thanks for the explanation and it makes sense.
Thank you for your very comprehensive and very good video Tristan :) :) :)