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Gotta admit, the segue from "Do other ships need to follow their instructions and keep clear?" to "World War III has started" was a little jarring. It's 2024, so it takes a lot to do that!
I like the idea of a pleasure sailing ship saying to a military ship, "You are requested to keep 0.5nm from us", before they have a chance to say it back
"This is life raft 1. You are requested to hand over your resources immediately." ..,.,.,,..,,..,,,.,.,...,.,.. "Full readback required." .,.,.,...,.,,.,.,,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,,..,.,,.,.
Same as in driving. Just today when I wanted to take a left the guy opposite me drove streight past me on a red light. Had I started the turn and he would have crashed in to me i would be in the right, but ...
Reminds me of a story with Emperor Hadrian. He was in a debate with a philosopher and was getting beaten badly. Well until the philosopher conceded the argument to the Emperor. His friends were shocked and asked “why did you concede, when you were winning?” The Philosopher replied “The Emperor is the wisest man in all the land.” His friends were still baffled until the philosopher continued “he who controls 40 legions is the wisest man.”
I'm sure that the carrier has to consider threats since it's a high value target. If they think it's a sneak attack you'll be at the bottom before you know what hit you.
Gentlemen, that reminds me ... (yacht) skipper course, sailing from Morocco to Spain. A bulk carrier was operating erratically ahead of us and the examiner asked for an assessment. "Manoeuvering for the deep water anchorage on the charts". "So is it restricted in its ability to manoeuvre or constrained by its draft?". "In the circumstances, yes". "Who has right of way?". "We have right of way as a sailing vessel. It doesn't matter what we /think/ it's doing, it isn't displaying any shapes to claim right of way, so it doesn't get it". "And what are your orders?". "Stay well clear of it because it clearly doesn't care about details and wouldn't even notice if it sinks us". 100%.
Yup, bigger ship diplomacy means my little bass boat is not picking a fight with a commercial shipping vessel that probably wouldn't even be damaged by the collision. Its the same logic as when I'm driving a sedan and i give tractor trailers some extra leeway, i prefer to have patience than be pancaked.
I'm sure it helps if they're polite. I actually flew directly over a carrier's flight deck out between Vancouver and Vancouver Island in a sea plane. Obviously the pilot of our plane called and asked for permission to over fly and it was granted at a range of about 10 miles out. This was in the late 80's. Not sure they would do this today.
@@SkorpychanGot any evidence for that assertion? The US military's more cautious about civilian flyovers now (9/11 showed the danger of that), but their rules of engagement are designed to make civilian deaths extremely unlikely.
On my 44ft sailing yacht, in the Strait of Gibraltar, many in and outgoing ships, AIS screen full of warning signs. We had engine trouble, which made us a 'proper' sailing ship, and so said our AIS. We stayed a clear course, didn't enter the TSS lane. A large supertanker was on collision course with us (still some miles out), not in TSS. After some time, neither of us changed course. We called them up, asking for their intentions. We didn't hear an answer. On the next call, we told our intentions, in case our radio didn't receive. Keep in mind that if we were to change course, we might have changed into their change, and without engine, and with unfavorable current, we would be too slow anyway. If such a vessel changes course, it can take minutes before you see it, let alone if they have to readjust if we also changed. They did change course, as they should (only 2 degrees, but it was plenty). It later turned out, our receiver was broken. They probably replied, we just didn't hear them. It's important that the Colregs exist. Without it, i would have done something else, or panic. The other ship did what they should and nothing happened.
Colregs, or any other rule is trumped by common sense: "You are dead, but at least you were right" I remember ferries in Croatia shitting on the right of way as there were just too many sailboats. Skippers are warned that, even they are under sails, the big container ships or ferris doesn't give a shit about them. ...also motorboats are often idiots and don't surrender right of way
I've done a lot of sailing on small craft, including on our 27 foot sailboat. We're in a pretty busy areas for commercial and some military traffic. General lesson is that just because one legally has right of way over the large powered ships, doesn't mean that exercising it in practice is a good idea. For military ships, this is especially the case. The US pre-9/11 and the USS Cole bombing used to be much more lenient about smaller craft getting near their ships. They now see it as a serious security hazard and really discourage it.
Just like on the road, vehicle size generally correlates to maneuverability and so I'm not going to pick a fight with a tractor trailer or commercial shipping vessel while in a comparatively tiny car or bass boat. When teaching me to drive my parents had a saying "You can be right, or you can be dead right". Meaning don't get yourself killed just because you legally had the right of way.
IIRC that is just for International water. In the US you're required to slow down if you're with 500yrd and not get within 100yrd of a military vessels; and follow any direction given by the officer of said military vessels when in the proximity. I think they can open fire at you if you're violate those lol
@@thaihungtran7729 COLREG: "Part A - General (Rules 1-3) Rule 1 states that the rules apply to all vessels upon the high seas and all waters connected to the high seas and navigable by seagoing vessels." So, also in US waters the COLREG applies. The US (navy) is not exempted to adhere to the IMO-rules.
There is, however, one tiebreaker that, especially in peacetime, a military vessel would do well to give way to: truly immobile obstacles. "This is a lighthouse. Your call."
There's also a degree to which a military ship broadcasting communication like this can in fact be a component of the vessel's defence. Calling up seemingly civilian ships that might be passing near and just giving them a casual "please stay away from us" to see if they take extra precautions, even if unnecessary, even if just out of politeness, can possibly be one way of making sure the vessel in question isn't actively trying to get closer to an operating military ship for nefarious purposes. If they call you up and you don't give them more room, that might tell them you're up to something and they'll have to take further protective measures. It's important to remember that military vessels aren't just like every other ordinary ship, they're working on a base assumption that all other traffic could be an enemy combatant in disguise, and they have to pre-emptively minimize any risk to themselves or their objectives.
Very true. You can be technically and legally right, but it is no use if you end up having to explain "I was right!" to St Peter (or the other one below :-) ) In a reciprocal case when someone said to me "had you fired that would have been a court-martial" my response was: "Yes, but I would have been alive for the court-martial!" . Someone had made a serious mistake, and we had good reason to think we had an imminent catastrophic threat.
Good point. It is probably part of their rules of engagement that they must first tell a potential enemy to stay away, then probably inform them that you will fire upon them if they do not comply, followed by a warningshot before they are allowed to actually target a vessel, assuming they are still not showing signs of retreating. Even an unarmed civilian vessel is quite capable of sinking a military ship by means of ramming.
If you read the rules which specify all this, at the end there will be something like "Regardless of everything above, all captains have a duty to avoid collisions." i.e. You're not allowed to just keep plying your course because you're the stand on vessel. If it looks like a collision is imminent, you have to take action to try to avoid it (whether it be turning or slowing).
thats literally everywhere though, These are the rules, but please everyone try to act in a way that corrects eachothers errors and keep eachother safe. simple as
Related to the carrier. It might also asked you as it might have escorts with her. Like destroyers and such. Remember the carriers do at times sail with a carrier strike group
I have seen an US aircraft carrier on the North Sea last year. It almost looked like it was sailing alone. An escort ship was so far away, that it was just under the horizon. Maybe the carrier got escorted by a submerged submarine?
@@computerinsurgent1204 the escort group is quite widely dispersed, like across a 100km circle. Most of the time it would be visually alone. The escort ships are many km away from the carrier in order to increase they chance of intercepting attacks before they reach the protected vessels. I have read that carriers travel with, at minimum, 5-6 destroyers, a couple of cruisers, a submarine. In addition they may also be accompanied by additional submarines, various amphibious assault vessels, and even coast guard cutters and foreign allied vessels like frigates and corvettes. The think about a carrier is that in many ways it's not really a boat....It's an airfield. It's a surprisingly maneuverable airfield, but its so tactically important and so expensive that a US carrier group has more defences than almost any city or military base.
@@charlesparr1611So few people understand the whole 'floating airfield' bit. They sort of recognize that planes take off and land from it, but it isn't until you explain that it's literally a decently-sized airbase that can park itself off practically any coast in a matter of _days_ that they realize just how significant modern supercarriers are.
I actually had a close contact with a military vessel a few years ago. I was sailing in a yacht witch my friends, with me behind a steer at that time, and we've spotted a Croatian navy's destroyer at our stern. I've used a very sophisticated tool in form of my thumb and I've found out they are in perfect collision course with us. But we were under sails, so first thing that came to my mind - who has the right of way? We, a 16 meter sail boat sailing at nice and smooth 6 knots, or a military vessel speeding at 20-30 knots? I've discussed this manner with my senior and much more experienced friend, and we decided we will keep our course, but closely observe this big metal boy. Some half an hour later, this vessel kept coming closer and closer, still collision course. When they were more or less one mile away from us, we decided that maybe we have a right of passage, but they are 1000 times bigger so lets give them some space. So I've changed our course, and I've noticed that a few minutes later they also turned a bit. Nevertheless, they overtook us no more than 300 meters between from us. That was super memorable experience, to see such a big vessel moving so fast so close to us... And to navigate through their kilwater waves.
What were you waiting for, an invitation to get run down? Perhaps they seen you or maybe they did not. Is it that big of deal to change course a few degrees to insure your own safety? The big ship is going to win the battle no matter who is right or wrong.
If you can see aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier, you are definitely too close to the aircraft carrier. Unless there are circumstances where they will allow your presence. But generally, an aircraft carrier doing operations will have a VERY wide area where no other vessels not belonging to the aircraft carrier group are going to get told to bugger off.
@@grondhero They don't. Carriers operate with a fleet of support craft, collectively known as a "carrier strike group". Those support craft surround the carrier and screen for it.
@@jdotoz There are several circles around military vessels. The outermost circle is where another vessel is monitored. Next circle is where the carrier strike group informs the vessel if it's heading on a path that will intersect the strike group. And no, the strike group will not alter course. Next circle is where they will require another vessel to change course or it will be elevated to a threat. Next circle is where the other vessel is a threat. It will be surrounded and escorted out of the circle. If for whatever reason that doesn't go as planned and a vessel comes within the kill circle. It's a dead vessel no matter what that vessel is doing. EDIT: The radius of those circles change based on current operational security. But let me assure you that there is a kill circle. In peace time where, say a sailing boat, wasn't perceived as a threat, that circle was basically at the hull of the carrier and so the sailing vessel would be crushed by the hull. But nowadays, with all the shit that has happened and is happening around the world. The circle where another vessel will be physically deleted is pretty big.
I love how your graphics (to me at least) seem original and unique. I've seen a number of other channels start to look very samey due to doing pretty-much the same animation. How long does it take to knock out an average video?
I learned to sail in NYC harbor. We were taught that sail boats had right of way over powered boats and ships. Exception: if they were working, including Staten Island ferries, cruise ships, freighters, and yes, Navy ships.
Once while heading out to sea in the engine room of a military ship (off New England coast), we were all taken by surprise when the OOD suddenly ordered 'Back Emergency' from the 'ahead standard' bell we had been running. This is of course a heart-stopping engine order and we answered it very quickly and were much relieved when 'all stop' was shortly followed by 'ahead standard' again. Later we found that a small sailing yacht had 'tacked' right in front of us, causing the near collision. Yes, sailing yacht had the right-of-way, but sheesh... tacking right in front of us was probably the dumbest thing they could do.
After USS Cole, I don't think the right of way is their worry. It is probably more a question of "if they get closer, I have to weigh boarding and/or sinking them."
@@joelmartin2549 You had the entire ocean, yet you: - picked the one spot a warship is in - were told to keep your distance - choose to get closer anyway The only thing people will ask is: Why did you kill yourself?
@@joelmartin2549 You appear to have misunderstood. Even cruise ships and cargo ships have steps they follow to respond to potential attackers, since pirates or terrorists hijacking the ship or blowing it up can be a genuine threat. This is especially so in areas that have a history of such threats. If a ship is behaving erratically or threateningly, e.g. ignoring explicit instructions and getting close, *especially* to a military ship, you're well past the point of worrying about starting an international incident. You want to survive to possibly be in trouble, not die wringing your hands. This video only covers how things should happen when both parties are being accountable and rules are being followed. Once an approaching ship breaks the rules, the followup procedure gets more aggressive than what this video covers, by necessity. Good luck getting an aircraft carrier's captain in trouble for firing warning shots or even sinking a ship after that ship behaved _so badly_ it forced a response. Pathological politeness gets people killed or captured during an attack, and military leaders in particular know better than to take the risk once red lines have been crossed. The rules in this video keep you out of such trouble, in the same way that rules like "don't break past a barbed wire fence and run into a secure area filled with armed guards" keeps you from getting arrested or shot on land. Once someone crosses a serious line, guards have their orders and will worry about who you are later. Even if you have diplomatic immunity... you won't for long after a trick like that. People piloting ships need to understand the rules and not play games. Nobody should be fecking around and finding out with military ships. Even pushing those boundaries of a cargo vessel is a stupid idea, and you're probably not going to be a license captain for long if you don't respect these rules. Whether the flag you're flying is China, Great Britain, or USA, YOLOing toward a military vessel and ignoring instructions is going to generate an aggressive response and maybe get you killed. "International incident" in this case means you're dead or in trouble and the captain that gave the order to fire has an easy time justifying their actions.
Lol, reminds me of the old Kurt Russell movie, _Captain Ron._ Passenger: *"Slow down. There are boats all over the place."* Captain Ron: *"Ah, don't worry. They'll get out of the way. Learned that driving the Saratoga.* Passenger: *The USS Saratoga?* Captain Ron: *Yeah, the old Sara.* 🙃
Interesting. I was always taught that smaller boats should give way to bigger boats because they’re more manoeuvrable. In any case, if I come across a cargo or cruise ship in my little sailing boat, I’m staying the hell away no matter what the rules say.
You also need to consider the wake. The big cargo ship may be obliged to avoid a collision with you, but I'm not sure they are obliged to avoid capsizing you with their wake. You are much better off just getting out of the way!
I pretty much do the same in my livaboard, a converted 160 man fully enclosed lifeboat. At 13 metres long, 3.5 at the beam, 4.5 at her highest point (pilots cabin), and displacing about 40 tons fully loaded, I am NOT arguing with a bulk cargo carrier, or an aircraft carrier if I can get out of the way. Even if it IS my right of way. Those little boats are almost impossible to actually sink, but hitting the wake of a large ship like that is going to toss it around like a cork in a violently shaken glass of water, and that could lead to damage I would rather not sustain!
When I was flying seaplanes we were taught least manoeuvrable vessels always have the right of way. And so do idiots lol. Sea planes on water have right of way over small things like jet-skis and smaller boats but those idiots like to get in the way of a seaplane takeoff.
"after investigation and review, it has been determined that the fatal collision between the Princess of the Seas and @aster-naut's Laser II was indeed the Princess of the Seas' fault"
In shallow waters big boats are normally restricted by depth, so then small boats should give way. Most small boats operates in shallow coastal waters, so it is a good general rule for most small boat operators. Just keep out of the f-ing way. But at open sea normal rules apply, like motor vessel gives way to sailing ship. But then again if you are small enough they might not even see you. Do not rely on the rule. Be ready to keep out of the way.
I really liked the accuracy and quality of information in this video. There are; however, two points that I believe are important to the topic. The first is that no vessel has right of way unless the vessels can see each other. If vessels cannot see each other because of fog, snow, etc then a different set of rules apply. Second, if it is an overtaking situation then it is always the overtaking vessel that keeps clear. Those two points have precedence over the hierarchy of vessels.
Great timing! I just got back from a sailing turn in the Mediterranean and out on the water we observed some Turkish Navy maneuvers and spotted their flagship doing helicopter approach and landing tests. I'm pretty new to sailing, so I asked our skipper the same questions, like would these huge military ships have to yield to us if we were under sail (we were). His answer was: "If you can (as we could) stay out of their way. You won't want to test this - but yes, in principle we have the right of way..”
This is a case where the smaller vessel may win the battle but lose the war. If you ignore the commands of the aircraft carrier and she blows you out of the water, you may sink to the bottom knowing you were right!
US Navy SWO Here. Carriers suck at driving. Their Officers of the Deck, Captain’s representative, are not what are considered Surface Warfare Officers. As SWOs we are required to have a pretty extensive knowledge of the Rules of the Road and COLREGS. However on Carriers, the OODs are typically the Doctors, JAGs, etc. People whose main job isn’t to drive ships. So typically they will make dumb requests that are out of the norm.
@@theavaliengineer I don't even know bro. One of my buddies, who has a significant amount of time as Officer of the Deck and as Conn (Person who drives the ship) on a Destoyer, was denied his qual as Conn on a carrier.
As a sailor in the Salish Sea, I and other sailors consider ourselves the more maneuverable vessel when encountering cargo or cruise ships or car ferries.
& what is "killdozer at sea"? A tumblehome ship with a bulbous ram bow with the equivalent armor of 2 WW II battleships? If so, yeah, "killdozer at sea" will win that contest.
Something that might have been good to mention ( or was probably covered in another video) is when navies are performing war games, weapons tests, and live fire exercises.
Sailing training in South Africa near the naval base in Simon's Town. Skipper always said the boat with the biggest guns had right of way. It was simple enough for me to remember 😅
TLDR: they place nice but have a gun pointed at you the entire time. I’ve been on a coast guard cutter attached to a carrier as escort. If you get within 1,000 yards of a carrier it’s because they let you. Otherwise they’ll maneuver clear or put an escort between you and them. They will give you the right of way if it’s yours. But there is a very close on eye to make sure that you do exactly as you say. They also play the rule of gross tonnage game a lot. There are few ships that out weigh a carrier and they use that a lot. A carrier strike group is huge, and very seldom will a carrier be alone, so just by that mass of ships you will almost never have to maneuver around a carrier, it does happen, but not often. More often you will have to maneuver around the dozen or so escorts that are watching you like a hawk. As they say in CIC “In god we trust, all others we track”
"They also play the rule of gross tonnage game a lot. " That works up until they run into a ultra-large crude oil tanker in the Red Sea, which is even larger and thicker than they are. Built like a tank, too.
@@flyerton99 Or the Straits of Malacca, which has almost as much tonnage of oil tankers going through it. But even the BIGGEST oil tankers aren't built as tough as an average Carrier.
Yes. That's taught in every Basic Seamanship class, although sailboats owners tend to have a problem realizing that they don't have the right-of-way over every boat/ship in the seas.
I thought there's no right of way per se. Just a stand-on and give-way vessels but all vessels have the duty to avoid collision, regardless of their "status".
@@BobHill-s2c In general, you are required to give way to any vessel that is less maneuverable than you, but all vessels are required to give way to any "man of war" vessel in order to avoid a collision.
@@BobHill-s2c That is correct for international rules. Inland Rules mention "Right of Way" for only one specific circumstance regarding a downbound vessel with a following current.
I remember, back in the 80's, a rag and string boat sailing right up to me (in a 5 metre powerboat at anchor) and telling me I had to weigh anchor and move somewhere else, because he wanted to anchor where I was. The audacity! (yes, I did tell him what I thought of his 'request'.)
You are forgetting that military ships maintain a security zone around their ships...if they say stay away and you don't, don't be surprised if they light you up with the targeting radar and swing their guns in your direction... of course, this depends on the ROE they are operating under...
@@jasonreed7522 its troubling for the military ships. Drone ships with explosives exist, even saw a clip of one exploding en route to a large cargo ship because it got shot. On the other, the navy sinking and killing civilians is a pretty bad look
They have no legal power to maintain a security zone in international waters. In wartime, they aren't going to care about that, of course (the UK didn't care that it had no authority to declare an exclusion zone around the Falkland Islands in 1982, for example), but during peacetime they would get in a lot of trouble taking hostile action against a vessel that did nothing threatening apart from entering a unilateral security zone.
@@beardedchimpThe US Navy has disagreed with you ever since the USS Cole bombing, and whether you're legally or morally right doesn't really matter much if you're dead.
If im in a civilian ship with no weapons and on international waters with no real law, i would move out of the way if the heavily armed warship with warplanes and anti-ship missiles en masse asked me to move out of the way.
You do follow the Maritime laws defined by IMO as long as your flagg state(the country in which the ship is registered) follows the convention. If you do not obey these laws, you are risking fines. Also, in the event of a collision, if the insurance companies find that you are the one who did not follow the navigational rules, you will bear the full or atleast partial liability for the damages. So if the Aircraft carrier crashed and sunk your ship. If they did not follow maritime laws, the United States Navy would have to pay for the damages done.
@cykacat4196 the united states navy can afford to pay for your ship... and your funeral... and the restitution to your family, and not even notice it on the budget for that one ship on that one mission. In other words, don't push your luck around someone who can choose whether or not to obey the rules, when everyone else HAS to obey those rules.
@@oyuyuy yeah, in a way the ship's/people are representative of their nation, and would be trialed under the national rules of one party. At least that's how it seems, could be wrong
@@Russo-Delenda-Est You think the only thing keeping people from murdering each other all the time is that they 'can't afford it'? 🙄Gees, leave the basement once in a while...
@@SamBrickellNavy has a strict policy of not disclosing which, if any, vessels have nuclear weapons. So that tonnage is probably not going to be counted.
@@bricefleckenstein9666 yeah i think a blanket assumption that at least one ship in a carrier strike group can turn the ocean around you into 5 mile steambath is a good idea.
01:32 An important point to clarify is the Collision Regulations do not establish who has right of way over who - they merely establish the responsibilities of vessels to give way to others, which is quite a big difference. Nobody has right of way on the seas.
What I remember from my days navigating ships, the burdened vessel has the right of way. Which means the ship that is less maneuverable has the right of way. So an aircraft carrier would often have the right of way. Unless it's between a carrier and a container ship. Okay I'll watch the video now.
2:43 many fishing vessels , while fishing are RAM There are only a few types of fishing activities that are not ram. Like single pots(lobster, crab and shrimp) and rod/reel(except when fish on hook) most other fisheries are , ram as thay are attached to the bottom via fishing gear, like otter trial, lobster trawl, and long line trawl
@andrewbroeker9819 well in my little fishing vessel, I'd gladly gtfotw My radar would normally pick them up from a distance aslong as they have their return, turned on. Otherwise they can't bee seen, and if I am hauling gear, they have to let me remove my gear an then I must evaluate Immediately , usually practiced as a self survival drill. Being a commercial captain comes with lots of weird twists to thw normal rules. Naval ships here are treated like Wright whales, removed of gear and ditching dodge
That depends. Can you take 'em in a fight? 'Cause if they're telling you to get out of the way, and you don't, that might be what happens. (Of course, under most circumstances they're just going to follow the usual rules because it's just easier on everyone)
I've had this exact situation in non-us and even international waters, and take great pleasure in reminding the us warships to remain one mile cpa from our sailing vessel (on high seas). they dont own the ocean, and they should respect ITLOS and IALA by setting an example.
Great video. Everything explained very well. I'd just like to point out a caveat though. Military Naval vessels may be engaged in some operation that has unique hazards that are not evident to other vessels. The military ship could be trailing a towed sonar array or engaged in dive operations. There can also be issues in interfering with air operations. Because of these unique activities unfamiliar to civilian crews, military vessels may sometimes request other ships to take actions which seem strange or unreasonable to civilian crews. It does happen. That all being said, military ships crews are responsible for their own vessels and they should know they have little control over civilian ships so need to be careful in where the undertake certain operations. A reasonable military vessel commander would know it is not a good idea to pull a towed sonar array across a busy shipping channel or he may not be bringing it back to port. But there's bad drivers everywhere.
depends on the area. international waters can be tricky but only the normal rules of maritime navigation would apply in normal peace time circumstances. now it could be akward if a conflict is in progress, especially if the vessels in question belong to hostile powers. in sovereign territory they would be technically bound by the rules of the country in question in most circumstances. wartime situations of course being different.
"Power must give way to sail" while true should not be used as an excuse to do something stupid. My last time out was in The Solent (the strip of water between Great Britain and the Isle of Wight) and it's a pretty busy shipping lane. Given there's often a good mile or two between the edge of the large vessel channel and where it gets too shallow for the 10m yacht we were on you might as well stay in the margins and enjoy better views.
Also, rules differ in inland and coastal waters. In the Netherlands, sail ships usually have right of way over motor ships, but on certain rivers large commercial ships always have priority over small pleasure craft, even if the latter is under sail. These rivers form the Rhine delta, so they connect important industrial areas in Germany and France to the port of Rotterdam.
When it comes to military vessels in general, one must not only consider de jure factors like the hiearchy of right of way, but also de facto factors, such as who has the bigger guns. As the old adage goes, if it's grey, stay away.
Yeah. I don't care what the law says, if there's a question of who has right of way, I will always stand by the fact that it's the ship that houses an army and enough supplies to make my vessel a new coral reef. Even if there's not a question, they have right of way. Same thing goes for roads and big rigs. I don't care who has the legal right of way, the big rig has the actual right of way because I like my car being in 3 dimensions not 2.
I was under sail in San Diego Harbour when a carrier came in about 20-25 years ago. No radio on board. The helicopter buzzing about and the police boats made it very clear who had right of way and it was not me.
As a child, my father lived in Puget Sound, and decided one day to row to the other side. A half hour later, his mother was wondering why the Seattle ferry was outside their house, stopped, and blowing its horn constantly. Turns out my dad had gotten into the ferry's lane in a rowboat, and the captain was trying REALLY hard not to run over a 13-year-old kid.
While everything he said it true, you also have to keep in mind the "law of tonnage". You might be in the right, but COLREGS won't stop you from dying. Just like you don't play chicken with a semi on the highway, even if you have the right of way. Stay away from Navy ships, especially ones that are in formation on the open ocean. Also, places like San Diego harbor which have tons of sailboats, just stay WAY clear of Navy ships. Have had many disappear from line of sight below our bow because they incorrectly thought they had right of way and/or plenty of time.
" While everything he said it true, you also have to keep in mind the "law of tonnage". You might be in the right, but COLREGS won't stop you from dying. Just like you don't play chicken with a semi on the highway, even if you have the right of way. " And how does that work when the other ship is a gigantic ULCC Oil Tanker that has more tonnage than the carrier?
@@flyerton99 My point was if you are in a sailboat on the open ocean and know you have right of way over a ship. You do, but you may still lose. For a carrier meeting a tanker, the rules of the road apply, like COLREGS (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Regulations_for_Preventing_Collisions_at_Sea)
When on a regatta in Halifax, we once made a group of 3 canadian navy ships slow down and change course as they were leaving port. It was surreal. Pilots, however, seem to enjoy speeding up and passing in front of us, messing up everything in their wake.
Reminds me of the (likely fictional) story of a US Captain who detecting an unidentified object ahead contacted them on the radio. He ordered the object ahead to move out of their way, with the object refusing to do so and replied advising him to change course. Incensed, the US Captain barked orders at the object stating his rank and that he was telling them authoritatively to change course - to which the object replied that it was a lighthouse, and was authoritatively telling him to change course.
Americans: This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, the second largest ship in the United States Atlantic fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers, and numerous support vessels. I say again, that's one-five degrees north, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship. Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call!
The thing about the carrier and it's changing of status - is that they don't always know when that status will change to restricted to manoeuvre. It's not unreasonable that they'll want to keep the space so that they can do so safely at any time, and also to ensure that there is no chance of a threat from the ship passing by. It's a pretty good rule of thumb when it comes to police and military of "do what you're told" - because force is "the ultimate form of diplomacy".
I believe military vessels try to maintain a security perimeter around themselves whenever possible. This was in response to the USS Cole incident in 2000 when the ship was attacked by a small boat filled with explosives. So the carrier requesting you maintain a 1000 yard distance was probably just asking you to stay out of its security perimeter.
They would basically have had to slalom in between the cruisers and destroyer escorts. And somewhere under the surface is at least one submarine as well.
we've had a destroyer sneak up on us in the night. most terrifying experience. no lights, no sound until they were only a few hundred meters away. then suddenly bright as fuck spotlight and it just powers away.
I got over 3yrs haze grey and underway, all carriers. In the 70'-80's at anchorage in a nice port teeny little boats would get close with the girls and cruise ships would come and go. A Ruskie trawler followed us to gather our trash. Underway 99% of the ships I saw were grey, maybe the battle group around us or the jets, other ships seemed to give us a bit of room.
Yep- it’s a well known NAVRUL…..The Law of Gross Tonnage. Actually- yes they do because they have a security zone whose size depends on what they’re doing. When my USCG 41 was assigned to escort a carrier from Philadelphia to Delaware Bay we kept a 500 too 1000 yad security zone around it.
Required distances change drastically depending on size, weight and water conditions. They say to keep ship 3 lengths clear, but when sailing a race in a small sailing vessel inshore at a crossing course, we are fine with a single centimetre, inch or something
I remember operating a sailing boat on a lake, trying to return upwind to the dock. The wind was weak, and I didn't have good steerage because of it, so I had to call out to the kayaks to steer around me.
On 12th November 2021, French carrier Charles de Gaulle rammed a small, 10m yacht sailing south of Tulon. There was 1 person on board of the yacht, a 70-something year old Polish skipper. Luckily only main mast was broken, and hull of the yacht remained intact. French marines boarded the yacht and helped skipper safeguard the mast and ensure the yacht can stay afloat. The skipper told french press, that this was a one-in-a-lifetime adventure, and admired French marines professionalism and help. No casualties.
There are also special rules in the ATP1v2 to give way for warships, from highest priority to lowest, helicopters dipping sonar, minesweeping, Replenishment at sea, launching/recovering landing craft, launching/recovering aircraft
I think there are two different questions here. First is who has right of way, or sailing priority, or however you want to phrase it. In that case, it sounds like it doesn't matter if a ship is military or not. The second question is safe standoff distance, which is whatever the different ships feel is acceptable. And keep in mind that military vessels don't just have to worry about collisions, they also have a much greater concern about things like terrorist attacks and hostile weapons. As someone pointed out in another thread, the USS Cole was nearly sunk by suicide bombers on a speed boat. So when they say "Please keep {X} distance away" they aren't so much talking about who has right of way to maneuver, they are more talking about their minimum security zone before they open fire...
When I was getting my boating license back in 2013, I was taught that a power driven vessel only give way to sailing vessels if the PDV displaces under 500 tons.
It seems to me that large military vessels would have right of way simply because if any other ship were to get too close, it might be considered a threat in which case it might find itself fired upon. For the carrier to radio a heave-to was more for your safety than theirs.
The aircraft carrier group consists of many vessels, so, the 1,000 yard is more like 2,000 yards from the actual ship. Hypersonic missile will get it, though.
Its not about the weapons. No military ship is going to point weapons at a bloody civilian livaboard that happens to be sailing the opposite direction from them to whatever port they have in mind to visit. Anyone who thinks military ships do that is an idiot. I have passed military vessels may time in my boat, and while I have been asked to keep a certain distance from said vessels they have never, ever pointed weapons at me because that would be stupid and irresponsible. Really its about tonnage, my boat displaces around 40 - 45 tons fully loaded. I am NOT going to argue with an almost 10,000 ton Destroyer who would not even notice the impact, let alone a 100,000 ton Carrier. Even WITHOUT being asked I would keep distance to Port or Starboard (depending where I had the sea room) if only to avoid the worst of the wakes those ships will generate. They will not sink me, but if I were to close they would toss my boat around like a cork in a glass of water, and that could damage all sorts of important things at worse, and be a pure vomit comet ride at best. So I keep my distance, do the same with large civilian ships as well. Right of way matters sweet FA if the other vessel will not even notice you are there if it misses your transponder and sails right over you.
@@alganhar1It CAN be about the weapons.If you keep coming closer they MAY decide you're looking to make them the next USS Cole and take steps to prevent it.
I think sometimes they have the right for you to get out of the way, if you don't want to be surrounded by 10 f16s and 100 navy seal boats that will make it clear.
It's like at a crossing on a narrow road when a big-ass construction or farming vehicle taking up 70% of the road comes barreling by. Who technically has the right of way stops mattering, you're keeping out of the way of the big boi, it's quicker and safer for everyone.
We were on a harbor brunch cruise in San Diego when one of the Navy's war ships was on its way out. We were some ways away from it but there was much pleasure and finishing boats around and the warship was giving 5 shot blasts of its air horn. I asked the stewardess refilling my Mimosa what that meant and she said "I'm bigger than you get the F outta my way".
Did they say "instructed" or "requested"? You changed it part way through the video. I would probably grant a politely made request to keep my distance. If they issued an "instruction" to stay 1,000 feet away, I would adjust my course to pass 900 feet from them as a matter of principle.
Then be prepared to face the consequences. Neither of those are a matter right of way, they are “stay this far away from me.” Do military vessels have to follow the rules? Yes, of course BUT they also have operating procedures they have to follow and maintaining a perimeter is fairly typical. They are obligated to inform approaching vessels of minimum separation and all “requests” are actually instructions. Carriers are actually special though, because they are literally floating military bases. A ship that has been told to say outside a certain distance is exactly the same as an aircraft told to stay out of a military airspace.
@@ShiningDarknes They are not instructions because they have no authority behind them. Their operating procedures govern their operations, not those of other vessels. It is not at all like military airspace. Military airspace is within a country's airspace and is governed by the laws of that country. We're talking about international waters.
@@ShiningDarknes As long as you pass a safe distance from them, there will be no consequences. One of their patrol aircraft may overfly you to check you aren't doing anything suspicious, but that's about it. Aircraft carriers don't open fire on civilian craft that are just going about their lawful business. I suspect you are getting your information from movies instead of real life.
0:30 "Aircraft carrier on international waters told us to stay away... Do they have right of way?" You know, at some point in time, it's no longer about what rights they have and instead about what they can do to you and get away with it. An aircraft carrier has the ability to make you disappear without a trace. And when what happened becomes public knowledge, they can still just say "our operational security" and carry on carrying aircrafts like a military aircraft carrier is supposed to do. They WILL deny you the ability to hang around them whenever they want because they DO have the power to sink you without having to explain themselves beyond "operational safety". So, do they have the right of way? On legal (national or international) terms, no. Would you do best to not test their resolve? Absolutely... It would be like a Karen trying to argue their way out of getting murdered by a serial killer who targets Karens.
What a load of bollocks. Do you honestly think military vessels go sailing around waving their big nuclear dicks in the air and demanding special attention? The US wouldn't DREAM of opening fire on a random vessel just for not listening to their *request*, the international fallout would be massive. Only the yanks think big guns equals big rights
If I had hundreds of aircraft, several destroyers, cruisers and submarines plus more then 2000 sailors on board, plus enough weapons systems to turn a small country into a pile of rouble, I would have the right of way
reminds me of the joke that ended with "I am in command of a US aircraft carrier, I demand you give way." and the response: "I am tending a lighthouse. your call." as a small boat sailor, I will pretty much always give way to a big boat, since I will always be the more maneuverable vessel.
Before watching this video: I have done some sailing (yes, with sails on vessels about 30 feet long with no motor). The general rule is that vessels under sail have the right of way. However, if a large vessel (say a ship of some sort) that takes a half a mile or longer to make a correction, then give way! So, if you encounter an aircraft carrier, which is MASSIVE, and can cruise about around 30 knots (published), and takes a couple of miles to make a turn, GIVE WAY!!!
Attacking a foreign vessel in international waters is illegal and in case of a civilian owned vessel even in times of war. So that is not a perspective at all unless you assume that the american military is criminal per se.
@@Llyd_ApDictait's not criminal to defend your vessel from someone who is trying to crash into you. You don't understand basic law, much less international law.
most warships just prefer to keep other ships at a safe range as a rule. it's true for unknown ships, but it's true for ships in their own fleet as well. 99% probably wasn't a right of way thing, but a tactical safety thing. that said, rather educational video, thx!
It's interesting how many people in the comments seem to think there were absolutely no need to make the video about the topic, yet showed up in the comments with their opinions.
I found it interesting that size never factored into the conversation. My father always taught me that while certainly a powered vessel must yield to a sail, that that was if they were of broadly similar sizes. A small pleasure sailboat is far more maneuverable than a shipping vessel, and so it's on the sailboat to avoid the powered shipping vessel. Basically the more maneuverable you are, the more it's on you to avoid everyone else. Your hierarchy mostly tracks that...but you explicitly mentioned a shipping vessel being required to avoid a small sailboat. That seems counterintuitive.
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I got the notification and have notifications on, you're fine
@@S1337theoddoneout-ip9xc youtube removes dead subscribers after a while
Gotta admit, the segue from "Do other ships need to follow their instructions and keep clear?" to "World War III has started" was a little jarring. It's 2024, so it takes a lot to do that!
You should do a video about how commercial ships are scuttled.
Garbage sponsor.
"This is Kayak 1 to US Carrier. I'm engaged in flight operations as my parrot is about to land on my shoulder. Make way."
Catamaran 1 to Big Ugly Ship 1 unable to clear the way....launching hotties into the ocean.
Is it an Norwegian blue?
"Your bird has feathers, my birds sparrows, do you want our birds to come to a resolution or are you gonna peddle the way we say?"
@@joerivanlier1180 i dont know do you want to start an international incident and end up on cnn? :P
@@henkbarnard1553 Beautiful plumage
I like the idea of a pleasure sailing ship saying to a military ship, "You are requested to keep 0.5nm from us", before they have a chance to say it back
I find it funny how tiny sailing ships and fishing ships ordering around military ships is both legal and recommended by international law
With the lack of capitalization, I read 0.5 nm as nanometer, instead of nautical mile (0.5 NM), which would be quite close :)
Imagine trying to tell a chinese vessal that
"This is life raft 1. You are requested to hand over your resources immediately." ..,.,.,,..,,..,,,.,.,...,.,.. "Full readback required." .,.,.,...,.,,.,.,,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,,..,.,,.,.
@@Tathanicmilitary responds and is actually quite easy to work with, the fishing vessels however are a nightmare
"Hey Google, remind me in two days to check how many people have told that ancient lighthouse joke in the comments on Casual Navigation's video."
Did i stutter-Carrier grows legs and crawls over the lighthouse.
What joke?
@@Vassilinia c'mon, everyone know that joke
But did you hear how the American carrier is so stubborn and bad ass, that it decided to continue its course over land?
@@clayrush1 they all will soon as they will be scrapped - they are obsolete in the 21st century.
As my sailing instructor taught me “You can be 100% correct, but still dead.”
That is true 🥲
I call it being "dead right". Yup, you had the right of way - but now you are a Silverado's hood ornament. Ooops.
Same as in driving. Just today when I wanted to take a left the guy opposite me drove streight past me on a red light. Had I started the turn and he would have crashed in to me i would be in the right, but ...
Reminds me of a story with Emperor Hadrian.
He was in a debate with a philosopher and was getting beaten badly. Well until the philosopher conceded the argument to the Emperor.
His friends were shocked and asked “why did you concede, when you were winning?” The Philosopher replied “The Emperor is the wisest man in all the land.” His friends were still baffled until the philosopher continued “he who controls 40 legions is the wisest man.”
He was wise indeed.
@@UncleJoeLITEHe was wise indeed.
Galileo would say the same for a church with a bonfire. Eppur si muove.
I'm sure that the carrier has to consider threats since it's a high value target. If they think it's a sneak attack you'll be at the bottom before you know what hit you.
Who's wiser, the man who controls 40 legions or the man who acknowledges his wisdom?
"It's very simple - we're armed and paranoid. We'll let you draw your own conclusions."
Gentlemen, that reminds me ... (yacht) skipper course, sailing from Morocco to Spain. A bulk carrier was operating erratically ahead of us and the examiner asked for an assessment. "Manoeuvering for the deep water anchorage on the charts". "So is it restricted in its ability to manoeuvre or constrained by its draft?". "In the circumstances, yes". "Who has right of way?". "We have right of way as a sailing vessel. It doesn't matter what we /think/ it's doing, it isn't displaying any shapes to claim right of way, so it doesn't get it". "And what are your orders?". "Stay well clear of it because it clearly doesn't care about details and wouldn't even notice if it sinks us". 100%.
Yup, bigger ship diplomacy means my little bass boat is not picking a fight with a commercial shipping vessel that probably wouldn't even be damaged by the collision.
Its the same logic as when I'm driving a sedan and i give tractor trailers some extra leeway, i prefer to have patience than be pancaked.
Don’t forget that aircraft carriers never travel alone ! A carrier strike group is quite a few ships and probably a submarine too!
it's the nautical equivalent of lugnuts rule.
Ah yes, the un-written Law of Tonnage.
Right of Weigh
I'm sure it helps if they're polite.
I actually flew directly over a carrier's flight deck out between Vancouver and Vancouver Island in a sea plane.
Obviously the pilot of our plane called and asked for permission to over fly and it was granted at a range of about 10 miles out. This was in the late 80's. Not sure they would do this today.
They might under the watchful eyes of one of their CIWS.
These days, the US Navy would probably swat you down with a missile for having the audacity to ask.
@@Skorpychan oh hey, fancy seeing you here LOL
@@SkorpychanGot any evidence for that assertion?
The US military's more cautious about civilian flyovers now (9/11 showed the danger of that), but their rules of engagement are designed to make civilian deaths extremely unlikely.
@@toahero5925 Really? I think the folks in the Middle East would have something to say about that.
On my 44ft sailing yacht, in the Strait of Gibraltar, many in and outgoing ships, AIS screen full of warning signs. We had engine trouble, which made us a 'proper' sailing ship, and so said our AIS. We stayed a clear course, didn't enter the TSS lane. A large supertanker was on collision course with us (still some miles out), not in TSS.
After some time, neither of us changed course. We called them up, asking for their intentions. We didn't hear an answer. On the next call, we told our intentions, in case our radio didn't receive. Keep in mind that if we were to change course, we might have changed into their change, and without engine, and with unfavorable current, we would be too slow anyway. If such a vessel changes course, it can take minutes before you see it, let alone if they have to readjust if we also changed.
They did change course, as they should (only 2 degrees, but it was plenty). It later turned out, our receiver was broken. They probably replied, we just didn't hear them. It's important that the Colregs exist. Without it, i would have done something else, or panic. The other ship did what they should and nothing happened.
This is what is happening in my mind anytime I pass TSS or busy shipping lane while sailing
"a large supertanker..." .... Is there any other kind?
Colregs, or any other rule is trumped by common sense:
"You are dead, but at least you were right"
I remember ferries in Croatia shitting on the right of way as there were just too many sailboats. Skippers are warned that, even they are under sails, the big container ships or ferris doesn't give a shit about them.
...also motorboats are often idiots and don't surrender right of way
@@xpusostomos Off course there are
@@12345fowler really... How big is a small super tanker?
I've done a lot of sailing on small craft, including on our 27 foot sailboat. We're in a pretty busy areas for commercial and some military traffic. General lesson is that just because one legally has right of way over the large powered ships, doesn't mean that exercising it in practice is a good idea. For military ships, this is especially the case. The US pre-9/11 and the USS Cole bombing used to be much more lenient about smaller craft getting near their ships. They now see it as a serious security hazard and really discourage it.
Just like on the road, vehicle size generally correlates to maneuverability and so I'm not going to pick a fight with a tractor trailer or commercial shipping vessel while in a comparatively tiny car or bass boat.
When teaching me to drive my parents had a saying "You can be right, or you can be dead right". Meaning don't get yourself killed just because you legally had the right of way.
IIRC that is just for International water. In the US you're required to slow down if you're with 500yrd and not get within 100yrd of a military vessels; and follow any direction given by the officer of said military vessels when in the proximity. I think they can open fire at you if you're violate those lol
@@thaihungtran7729 COLREG:
"Part A - General (Rules 1-3)
Rule 1 states that the rules apply to all vessels upon the high seas and all waters connected to the high seas and navigable by seagoing vessels."
So, also in US waters the COLREG applies. The US (navy) is not exempted to adhere to the IMO-rules.
Don't touch my boats!
@@CharliMorganMusicyep. Wait for the flash.
Two unofficial laws of the sea do give military vessels right-of-way tiebreakers: The law of superior gross tonnage and the law of superior firepower.
Bigger Ship tops. Doubly so if it has big guns.
Please be 1000ft away from me or i will ensure you are 1000ft under me@kamirostorino9416
There is, however, one tiebreaker that, especially in peacetime, a military vessel would do well to give way to: truly immobile obstacles. "This is a lighthouse. Your call."
Just like on the road.
Technically speaking: a lighthouse wins in the tonnage department.
There's also a degree to which a military ship broadcasting communication like this can in fact be a component of the vessel's defence. Calling up seemingly civilian ships that might be passing near and just giving them a casual "please stay away from us" to see if they take extra precautions, even if unnecessary, even if just out of politeness, can possibly be one way of making sure the vessel in question isn't actively trying to get closer to an operating military ship for nefarious purposes. If they call you up and you don't give them more room, that might tell them you're up to something and they'll have to take further protective measures.
It's important to remember that military vessels aren't just like every other ordinary ship, they're working on a base assumption that all other traffic could be an enemy combatant in disguise, and they have to pre-emptively minimize any risk to themselves or their objectives.
Very true. You can be technically and legally right, but it is no use if you end up having to explain "I was right!" to St Peter (or the other one below :-) ) In a reciprocal case when someone said to me "had you fired that would have been a court-martial" my response was: "Yes, but I would have been alive for the court-martial!" . Someone had made a serious mistake, and we had good reason to think we had an imminent catastrophic threat.
Which roughly translates to military ships have guns and are paranoid, its wise to follow their requests while they are still asking nicely.
Especially since the Cole attack.
@@MattH-wg7ou Yes. US military are very well known for shooting first and asking later. They are paranoid and think the world is out to get them.,
Good point. It is probably part of their rules of engagement that they must first tell a potential enemy to stay away, then probably inform them that you will fire upon them if they do not comply, followed by a warningshot before they are allowed to actually target a vessel, assuming they are still not showing signs of retreating. Even an unarmed civilian vessel is quite capable of sinking a military ship by means of ramming.
If you read the rules which specify all this, at the end there will be something like "Regardless of everything above, all captains have a duty to avoid collisions." i.e. You're not allowed to just keep plying your course because you're the stand on vessel. If it looks like a collision is imminent, you have to take action to try to avoid it (whether it be turning or slowing).
One upshot is that, especially in peacetime, no military vessel has priority over a lighthouse.
thats literally everywhere though,
These are the rules, but please everyone try to act in a way that corrects eachothers errors and keep eachother safe. simple as
Related to the carrier. It might also asked you as it might have escorts with her. Like destroyers and such. Remember the carriers do at times sail with a carrier strike group
they always have acarrier strike group, alone they a very vulnerable
@@twplayer1999 True, but at any given time a carrier strike group can be separated quite a bit. Sometimes they can be 50+ miles away and out of sight.
I have seen an US aircraft carrier on the North Sea last year. It almost looked like it was sailing alone. An escort ship was so far away, that it was just under the horizon. Maybe the carrier got escorted by a submerged submarine?
@@computerinsurgent1204 the escort group is quite widely dispersed, like across a 100km circle. Most of the time it would be visually alone. The escort ships are many km away from the carrier in order to increase they chance of intercepting attacks before they reach the protected vessels. I have read that carriers travel with, at minimum, 5-6 destroyers, a couple of cruisers, a submarine. In addition they may also be accompanied by additional submarines, various amphibious assault vessels, and even coast guard cutters and foreign allied vessels like frigates and corvettes.
The think about a carrier is that in many ways it's not really a boat....It's an airfield. It's a surprisingly maneuverable airfield, but its so tactically important and so expensive that a US carrier group has more defences than almost any city or military base.
@@charlesparr1611So few people understand the whole 'floating airfield' bit. They sort of recognize that planes take off and land from it, but it isn't until you explain that it's literally a decently-sized airbase that can park itself off practically any coast in a matter of _days_ that they realize just how significant modern supercarriers are.
I actually had a close contact with a military vessel a few years ago. I was sailing in a yacht witch my friends, with me behind a steer at that time, and we've spotted a Croatian navy's destroyer at our stern. I've used a very sophisticated tool in form of my thumb and I've found out they are in perfect collision course with us.
But we were under sails, so first thing that came to my mind - who has the right of way? We, a 16 meter sail boat sailing at nice and smooth 6 knots, or a military vessel speeding at 20-30 knots?
I've discussed this manner with my senior and much more experienced friend, and we decided we will keep our course, but closely observe this big metal boy.
Some half an hour later, this vessel kept coming closer and closer, still collision course. When they were more or less one mile away from us, we decided that maybe we have a right of passage, but they are 1000 times bigger so lets give them some space. So I've changed our course, and I've noticed that a few minutes later they also turned a bit. Nevertheless, they overtook us no more than 300 meters between from us. That was super memorable experience, to see such a big vessel moving so fast so close to us... And to navigate through their kilwater waves.
It's called a destroyer... 😂
The Croatian navy doesn't have destroyers what are you talking about?
@@nicksweden3277 might be a frigate or other kind of similar class vesell, I am not really a Croatian navy specialist.
Regardless of who you thought had right of way if you put your vessel into danger you are a fool!
What were you waiting for, an invitation to get run down? Perhaps they seen you or maybe they did not. Is it that big of deal to change course a few degrees to insure your own safety? The big ship is going to win the battle no matter who is right or wrong.
2:25 forgot to mention that vessels constrained by their draft also get priority over the last 3
What does this mean
@@agy234 depth of ship below the water line i.e. need work more about shallow water
Is there anywhere in international water where that would be an issue ?
@@gavinkemp7920 Same rules apply also in territorial waters, so this would typically be in sea-lanes,.
a large part of the Baltic Sea is like this
If you can see aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier, you are definitely too close to the aircraft carrier.
Unless there are circumstances where they will allow your presence. But generally, an aircraft carrier doing operations will have a VERY wide area where no other vessels not belonging to the aircraft carrier group are going to get told to bugger off.
I was in the Army, not the Navy, but I never noticed an aircraft carrier operating alone.
@@grondhero They don't. Carriers operate with a fleet of support craft, collectively known as a "carrier strike group". Those support craft surround the carrier and screen for it.
@@jeffmorris5802 Yep, that's what I was thinking. I can't imagine a fleet moving out of the way for a sailboat.
On the high seas, those are just words unless the approaching vessel presents a credible enough threat to incur the right of self-defense.
@@jdotoz There are several circles around military vessels.
The outermost circle is where another vessel is monitored.
Next circle is where the carrier strike group informs the vessel if it's heading on a path that will intersect the strike group.
And no, the strike group will not alter course.
Next circle is where they will require another vessel to change course or it will be elevated to a threat.
Next circle is where the other vessel is a threat. It will be surrounded and escorted out of the circle.
If for whatever reason that doesn't go as planned and a vessel comes within the kill circle. It's a dead vessel no matter what that vessel is doing.
EDIT: The radius of those circles change based on current operational security.
But let me assure you that there is a kill circle. In peace time where, say a sailing boat, wasn't perceived as a threat, that circle was basically at the hull of the carrier and so the sailing vessel would be crushed by the hull.
But nowadays, with all the shit that has happened and is happening around the world. The circle where another vessel will be physically deleted is pretty big.
I love how your graphics (to me at least) seem original and unique. I've seen a number of other channels start to look very samey due to doing pretty-much the same animation. How long does it take to knock out an average video?
I learned to sail in NYC harbor. We were taught that sail boats had right of way over powered boats and ships. Exception: if they were working, including Staten Island ferries, cruise ships, freighters, and yes, Navy ships.
Can confirm I was thought the same thing
Maybe the rules are different than in international waters?
There is probably a commercial zone. They are in some straits were pleasure crafts are only allowed to cross
Once while heading out to sea in the engine room of a military ship (off New England coast), we were all taken by surprise when the OOD suddenly ordered 'Back Emergency' from the 'ahead standard' bell we had been running. This is of course a heart-stopping engine order and we answered it very quickly and were much relieved when 'all stop' was shortly followed by 'ahead standard' again. Later we found that a small sailing yacht had 'tacked' right in front of us, causing the near collision. Yes, sailing yacht had the right-of-way, but sheesh... tacking right in front of us was probably the dumbest thing they could do.
So, sailing boats are the cyclists of the sea?
After USS Cole, I don't think the right of way is their worry.
It is probably more a question of "if they get closer, I have to weigh boarding and/or sinking them."
This was my first thought. Also, do you want to argue with the heavily armed vessel that could sink you at a moment's notice? 😉
Probably depends on the flag you are flying, do they really want to start an international incident?
@@joelmartin2549 You had the entire ocean, yet you:
- picked the one spot a warship is in
- were told to keep your distance
- choose to get closer anyway
The only thing people will ask is: Why did you kill yourself?
@@joelmartin2549 You appear to have misunderstood. Even cruise ships and cargo ships have steps they follow to respond to potential attackers, since pirates or terrorists hijacking the ship or blowing it up can be a genuine threat. This is especially so in areas that have a history of such threats. If a ship is behaving erratically or threateningly, e.g. ignoring explicit instructions and getting close, *especially* to a military ship, you're well past the point of worrying about starting an international incident. You want to survive to possibly be in trouble, not die wringing your hands.
This video only covers how things should happen when both parties are being accountable and rules are being followed. Once an approaching ship breaks the rules, the followup procedure gets more aggressive than what this video covers, by necessity. Good luck getting an aircraft carrier's captain in trouble for firing warning shots or even sinking a ship after that ship behaved _so badly_ it forced a response. Pathological politeness gets people killed or captured during an attack, and military leaders in particular know better than to take the risk once red lines have been crossed.
The rules in this video keep you out of such trouble, in the same way that rules like "don't break past a barbed wire fence and run into a secure area filled with armed guards" keeps you from getting arrested or shot on land. Once someone crosses a serious line, guards have their orders and will worry about who you are later. Even if you have diplomatic immunity... you won't for long after a trick like that. People piloting ships need to understand the rules and not play games.
Nobody should be fecking around and finding out with military ships. Even pushing those boundaries of a cargo vessel is a stupid idea, and you're probably not going to be a license captain for long if you don't respect these rules. Whether the flag you're flying is China, Great Britain, or USA, YOLOing toward a military vessel and ignoring instructions is going to generate an aggressive response and maybe get you killed. "International incident" in this case means you're dead or in trouble and the captain that gave the order to fire has an easy time justifying their actions.
no, the united states does not get to do piracy in international waters because on of their ships got bombed lmao are u on crack?
Lol, reminds me of the old Kurt Russell movie, _Captain Ron._
Passenger: *"Slow down. There are boats all over the place."*
Captain Ron: *"Ah, don't worry. They'll get out of the way. Learned that driving the Saratoga.*
Passenger: *The USS Saratoga?*
Captain Ron: *Yeah, the old Sara.* 🙃
That was a good movie
Interesting. I was always taught that smaller boats should give way to bigger boats because they’re more manoeuvrable. In any case, if I come across a cargo or cruise ship in my little sailing boat, I’m staying the hell away no matter what the rules say.
You also need to consider the wake. The big cargo ship may be obliged to avoid a collision with you, but I'm not sure they are obliged to avoid capsizing you with their wake. You are much better off just getting out of the way!
I pretty much do the same in my livaboard, a converted 160 man fully enclosed lifeboat. At 13 metres long, 3.5 at the beam, 4.5 at her highest point (pilots cabin), and displacing about 40 tons fully loaded, I am NOT arguing with a bulk cargo carrier, or an aircraft carrier if I can get out of the way. Even if it IS my right of way. Those little boats are almost impossible to actually sink, but hitting the wake of a large ship like that is going to toss it around like a cork in a violently shaken glass of water, and that could lead to damage I would rather not sustain!
When I was flying seaplanes we were taught least manoeuvrable vessels always have the right of way. And so do idiots lol. Sea planes on water have right of way over small things like jet-skis and smaller boats but those idiots like to get in the way of a seaplane takeoff.
"after investigation and review, it has been determined that the fatal collision between the Princess of the Seas and @aster-naut's Laser II was indeed the Princess of the Seas' fault"
In shallow waters big boats are normally restricted by depth, so then small boats should give way. Most small boats operates in shallow coastal waters, so it is a good general rule for most small boat operators. Just keep out of the f-ing way.
But at open sea normal rules apply, like motor vessel gives way to sailing ship. But then again if you are small enough they might not even see you. Do not rely on the rule. Be ready to keep out of the way.
As HMAS Melbourne demonstrated on two separate occasions, YES the aircraft carrier DOES have right of way.
Imagine being the captain of a fishing boat seeing a carrier strike group and being like nah ill not move out of the way
I really liked the accuracy and quality of information in this video. There are; however, two points that I believe are important to the topic. The first is that no vessel has right of way unless the vessels can see each other. If vessels cannot see each other because of fog, snow, etc then a different set of rules apply. Second, if it is an overtaking situation then it is always the overtaking vessel that keeps clear. Those two points have precedence over the hierarchy of vessels.
Great timing! I just got back from a sailing turn in the Mediterranean and out on the water we observed some Turkish Navy maneuvers and spotted their flagship doing helicopter approach and landing tests.
I'm pretty new to sailing, so I asked our skipper the same questions, like would these huge military ships have to yield to us if we were under sail (we were). His answer was: "If you can (as we could) stay out of their way. You won't want to test this - but yes, in principle we have the right of way..”
This is a case where the smaller vessel may win the battle but lose the war. If you ignore the commands of the aircraft carrier and she blows you out of the water, you may sink to the bottom knowing you were right!
US Navy SWO Here. Carriers suck at driving. Their Officers of the Deck, Captain’s representative, are not what are considered Surface Warfare Officers. As SWOs we are required to have a pretty extensive knowledge of the Rules of the Road and COLREGS. However on Carriers, the OODs are typically the Doctors, JAGs, etc. People whose main job isn’t to drive ships. So typically they will make dumb requests that are out of the norm.
That seems really counterintuitive. Is there a specific reason?
Thanks for the understandable lingo 👍
@@theavaliengineer I don't even know bro. One of my buddies, who has a significant amount of time as Officer of the Deck and as Conn (Person who drives the ship) on a Destoyer, was denied his qual as Conn on a carrier.
I am a throttleman on a carrier. Can confirm, bridge (or whoever the fuck is up there telling us how fast to go) is dumb as hell.
As a sailor in the Salish Sea, I and other sailors consider ourselves the more maneuverable vessel when encountering cargo or cruise ships or car ferries.
"Do Aircraft Carriers Have Right of Way?"
Me driving killdozer at sea: "No, I don't think I will."
F-35s in the air: "yea i think you will"
Yeah the killdozer would get obliterated in that scenario seeing as it has nowhere near the mass of an aircraft carrier
& what is "killdozer at sea"? A tumblehome ship with a bulbous ram bow with the equivalent armor of 2 WW II battleships? If so, yeah, "killdozer at sea" will win that contest.
@@BigMoTheBlackDragon SeaDozer
@@BigMoTheBlackDragonThat "killdozer at sea" will win against a carrier? There's a reason no one builds battleships anymore.
Thank you for properly equating NUC and RAM under the eyes of maritime law! That was always a tough thing to explain to new ship handlers.
Something that might have been good to mention ( or was probably covered in another video) is when navies are performing war games, weapons tests, and live fire exercises.
That would be done in territorial waters which much like airspace can be temporarily (or even permanently) restricted to civilian traffic.
Sailing training in South Africa near the naval base in Simon's Town. Skipper always said the boat with the biggest guns had right of way. It was simple enough for me to remember 😅
It isn't a written rule, but it is an immensely practical one.
TLDR: they place nice but have a gun pointed at you the entire time.
I’ve been on a coast guard cutter attached to a carrier as escort. If you get within 1,000 yards of a carrier it’s because they let you. Otherwise they’ll maneuver clear or put an escort between you and them. They will give you the right of way if it’s yours. But there is a very close on eye to make sure that you do exactly as you say. They also play the rule of gross tonnage game a lot. There are few ships that out weigh a carrier and they use that a lot. A carrier strike group is huge, and very seldom will a carrier be alone, so just by that mass of ships you will almost never have to maneuver around a carrier, it does happen, but not often. More often you will have to maneuver around the dozen or so escorts that are watching you like a hawk. As they say in CIC “In god we trust, all others we track”
"They also play the rule of gross tonnage game a lot. "
That works up until they run into a ultra-large crude oil tanker in the Red Sea, which is even larger and thicker than they are. Built like a tank, too.
@@flyerton99 Or the Straits of Malacca, which has almost as much tonnage of oil tankers going through it.
But even the BIGGEST oil tankers aren't built as tough as an average Carrier.
Yes.
That's taught in every Basic Seamanship class, although sailboats owners tend to have a problem realizing that they don't have the right-of-way over every boat/ship in the seas.
I thought there's no right of way per se. Just a stand-on and give-way vessels but all vessels have the duty to avoid collision, regardless of their "status".
@@BobHill-s2c In general, you are required to give way to any vessel that is less maneuverable than you, but all vessels are required to give way to any "man of war" vessel in order to avoid a collision.
@@BobHill-s2c That is correct for international rules. Inland Rules mention "Right of Way" for only one specific circumstance regarding a downbound vessel with a following current.
I remember, back in the 80's, a rag and string boat sailing right up to me (in a 5 metre powerboat at anchor) and telling me I had to weigh anchor and move somewhere else, because he wanted to anchor where I was. The audacity! (yes, I did tell him what I thought of his 'request'.)
You are forgetting that military ships maintain a security zone around their ships...if they say stay away and you don't, don't be surprised if they light you up with the targeting radar and swing their guns in your direction... of course, this depends on the ROE they are operating under...
I think most military ships are always willing to shoot you to avoid a collision. They start with asking nicely though.
@@jasonreed7522 its troubling for the military ships. Drone ships with explosives exist, even saw a clip of one exploding en route to a large cargo ship because it got shot. On the other, the navy sinking and killing civilians is a pretty bad look
They have no legal power to maintain a security zone in international waters. In wartime, they aren't going to care about that, of course (the UK didn't care that it had no authority to declare an exclusion zone around the Falkland Islands in 1982, for example), but during peacetime they would get in a lot of trouble taking hostile action against a vessel that did nothing threatening apart from entering a unilateral security zone.
That security zone isn't part of international law, it's not their zone to defend.
@@beardedchimpThe US Navy has disagreed with you ever since the USS Cole bombing, and whether you're legally or morally right doesn't really matter much if you're dead.
If im in a civilian ship with no weapons and on international waters with no real law, i would move out of the way if the heavily armed warship with warplanes and anti-ship missiles en masse asked me to move out of the way.
You do follow the Maritime laws defined by IMO as long as your flagg state(the country in which the ship is registered) follows the convention. If you do not obey these laws, you are risking fines. Also, in the event of a collision, if the insurance companies find that you are the one who did not follow the navigational rules, you will bear the full or atleast partial liability for the damages.
So if the Aircraft carrier crashed and sunk your ship. If they did not follow maritime laws, the United States Navy would have to pay for the damages done.
Pretty much exactly the same laws that exist on land are applied to international waters as well - it's not some 'free-for-all' or anything.
@cykacat4196 the united states navy can afford to pay for your ship... and your funeral... and the restitution to your family, and not even notice it on the budget for that one ship on that one mission. In other words, don't push your luck around someone who can choose whether or not to obey the rules, when everyone else HAS to obey those rules.
@@oyuyuy yeah, in a way the ship's/people are representative of their nation, and would be trialed under the national rules of one party. At least that's how it seems, could be wrong
@@Russo-Delenda-Est You think the only thing keeping people from murdering each other all the time is that they 'can't afford it'? 🙄Gees, leave the basement once in a while...
In this case, the rule of tonnage gets updated to include tonnage of explosives and other weapons.
Including megatonnage of any potential nuclear weapons onboard.
@@SamBrickellNavy has a strict policy of not disclosing which, if any, vessels have nuclear weapons. So that tonnage is probably not going to be counted.
@@CptJistuce But it's NOT a bad idea to assume that any US Navy Carrier has at least some nukes.
Not 100% any more, but not sure how much less %.
@@bricefleckenstein9666 yeah i think a blanket assumption that at least one ship in a carrier strike group can turn the ocean around you into 5 mile steambath is a good idea.
01:32 An important point to clarify is the Collision Regulations do not establish who has right of way over who - they merely establish the responsibilities of vessels to give way to others, which is quite a big difference. Nobody has right of way on the seas.
What I remember from my days navigating ships, the burdened vessel has the right of way. Which means the ship that is less maneuverable has the right of way. So an aircraft carrier would often have the right of way. Unless it's between a carrier and a container ship.
Okay I'll watch the video now.
0:10 yes, unless the vessel is larger then the aircraft carrier 😅 even then, the navy will tell you to gtfotw
2:43 many fishing vessels , while fishing are RAM
There are only a few types of fishing activities that are not ram.
Like single pots(lobster, crab and shrimp) and rod/reel(except when fish on hook) most other fisheries are , ram as thay are attached to the bottom via fishing gear, like otter trial, lobster trawl, and long line trawl
And in the case of mackerel, many fishing vessels have other boats in tow
Pro tip: when a military vessel tells you to move, you usually should
@andrewbroeker9819 well in my little fishing vessel, I'd gladly gtfotw
My radar would normally pick them up from a distance aslong as they have their return, turned on. Otherwise they can't bee seen, and if I am hauling gear, they have to let me remove my gear an then I must evaluate Immediately , usually practiced as a self survival drill.
Being a commercial captain comes with lots of weird twists to thw normal rules.
Naval ships here are treated like Wright whales, removed of gear and ditching dodge
@@BurchellAtTheWharf I'm glad to hear that you're careful about whales
That depends. Can you take 'em in a fight? 'Cause if they're telling you to get out of the way, and you don't, that might be what happens.
(Of course, under most circumstances they're just going to follow the usual rules because it's just easier on everyone)
I've had this exact situation in non-us and even international waters, and take great pleasure in reminding the us warships to remain one mile cpa from our sailing vessel (on high seas). they dont own the ocean, and they should respect ITLOS and IALA by setting an example.
I would think "Who has the bigger guns?" might want to play into the analysis of whether you are honoring a request.
Great video. Everything explained very well. I'd just like to point out a caveat though. Military Naval vessels may be engaged in some operation that has unique hazards that are not evident to other vessels. The military ship could be trailing a towed sonar array or engaged in dive operations. There can also be issues in interfering with air operations. Because of these unique activities unfamiliar to civilian crews, military vessels may sometimes request other ships to take actions which seem strange or unreasonable to civilian crews. It does happen. That all being said, military ships crews are responsible for their own vessels and they should know they have little control over civilian ships so need to be careful in where the undertake certain operations. A reasonable military vessel commander would know it is not a good idea to pull a towed sonar array across a busy shipping channel or he may not be bringing it back to port. But there's bad drivers everywhere.
In any of these cases they would be restricted in ability to maneuver and therefore have right of way anyways.
depends on the area. international waters can be tricky but only the normal rules of maritime navigation would apply in normal peace time circumstances. now it could be akward if a conflict is in progress, especially if the vessels in question belong to hostile powers.
in sovereign territory they would be technically bound by the rules of the country in question in most circumstances. wartime situations of course being different.
"Power must give way to sail" while true should not be used as an excuse to do something stupid. My last time out was in The Solent (the strip of water between Great Britain and the Isle of Wight) and it's a pretty busy shipping lane. Given there's often a good mile or two between the edge of the large vessel channel and where it gets too shallow for the 10m yacht we were on you might as well stay in the margins and enjoy better views.
Also, rules differ in inland and coastal waters. In the Netherlands, sail ships usually have right of way over motor ships, but on certain rivers large commercial ships always have priority over small pleasure craft, even if the latter is under sail. These rivers form the Rhine delta, so they connect important industrial areas in Germany and France to the port of Rotterdam.
@@eypandabear7483 Those rules also apply internationally, those ships are restricted by draft.
When it comes to military vessels in general, one must not only consider de jure factors like the hiearchy of right of way, but also de facto factors, such as who has the bigger guns.
As the old adage goes, if it's grey, stay away.
Yeah. I don't care what the law says, if there's a question of who has right of way, I will always stand by the fact that it's the ship that houses an army and enough supplies to make my vessel a new coral reef. Even if there's not a question, they have right of way. Same thing goes for roads and big rigs. I don't care who has the legal right of way, the big rig has the actual right of way because I like my car being in 3 dimensions not 2.
Aircraft Carriers have right-of-way in International Water, like an Elephant has right-of-way passing an armadillo :o
Some excellent driving advice I once recieved applies here: "It is better to be alive than right"
when the most powerful weapon ever built asks you to keep your distance, you better do as they ask
the aircraft carrier hasn’t been the most powerful us vessel since july 20th 1960 when the USS George Washington launched its first SLBM
I was under sail in San Diego Harbour when a carrier came in about 20-25 years ago. No radio on board. The helicopter buzzing about and the police boats made it very clear who had right of way and it was not me.
Nice an Airbus helicopter arrived at the carrier :D never saw that before. 1:43
USCG Dolphins land on them all the time
As a child, my father lived in Puget Sound, and decided one day to row to the other side. A half hour later, his mother was wondering why the Seattle ferry was outside their house, stopped, and blowing its horn constantly. Turns out my dad had gotten into the ferry's lane in a rowboat, and the captain was trying REALLY hard not to run over a 13-year-old kid.
While everything he said it true, you also have to keep in mind the "law of tonnage". You might be in the right, but COLREGS won't stop you from dying. Just like you don't play chicken with a semi on the highway, even if you have the right of way.
Stay away from Navy ships, especially ones that are in formation on the open ocean. Also, places like San Diego harbor which have tons of sailboats, just stay WAY clear of Navy ships. Have had many disappear from line of sight below our bow because they incorrectly thought they had right of way and/or plenty of time.
more like playing chicken with a train at the scale of my boat.
" While everything he said it true, you also have to keep in mind the "law of tonnage". You might be in the right, but COLREGS won't stop you from dying. Just like you don't play chicken with a semi on the highway, even if you have the right of way. "
And how does that work when the other ship is a gigantic ULCC Oil Tanker that has more tonnage than the carrier?
@flyerton99 kind of depends on whether the CO of the carrier decides the tanker is a threat, i think. Carriers carry tonnage multipliers.
@@kenbrown2808 You think a CO of a carrier is going to ram another vessel and keep his job?
@@flyerton99 My point was if you are in a sailboat on the open ocean and know you have right of way over a ship. You do, but you may still lose. For a carrier meeting a tanker, the rules of the road apply, like COLREGS (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Regulations_for_Preventing_Collisions_at_Sea)
The carrier has an enormous powerful wake. They could easily be telling the other boat that getting into their prop wash is a bad idea.
I guess when someone has enough firepower to obliterate a small country, you don't debate over right of way, you just make some room.
When on a regatta in Halifax, we once made a group of 3 canadian navy ships slow down and change course as they were leaving port. It was surreal.
Pilots, however, seem to enjoy speeding up and passing in front of us, messing up everything in their wake.
Reminds me of the (likely fictional) story of a US Captain who detecting an unidentified object ahead contacted them on the radio.
He ordered the object ahead to move out of their way, with the object refusing to do so and replied advising him to change course.
Incensed, the US Captain barked orders at the object stating his rank and that he was telling them authoritatively to change course - to which the object replied that it was a lighthouse, and was authoritatively telling him to change course.
the spanish lighthouse story
Alternatively telling that it's a lighthouse and that the captain can do whatever he wants
@@il_vendicatore and the canadian, and the portuguese, and the turkish. heard of about 10 derivations over the years.
the version I've heard, the lighthouse eventually responds with "we're a lighthouse, your move"
@@TheKurtkapan34 Oh yea, I wouldn't be surprised if that story has existed in some form since they started putting radios on boats.
Americans: This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, the second largest ship in the United States Atlantic fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers, and numerous support vessels. I say again, that's one-five degrees north, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.
Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call!
The ship with the biggest guns has the right of way. End of discussion.
The thing about the carrier and it's changing of status - is that they don't always know when that status will change to restricted to manoeuvre.
It's not unreasonable that they'll want to keep the space so that they can do so safely at any time, and also to ensure that there is no chance of a threat from the ship passing by.
It's a pretty good rule of thumb when it comes to police and military of "do what you're told" - because force is "the ultimate form of diplomacy".
What about a battle group ? Carriers never travel alone
All are powered ships
I believe military vessels try to maintain a security perimeter around themselves whenever possible. This was in response to the USS Cole incident in 2000 when the ship was attacked by a small boat filled with explosives. So the carrier requesting you maintain a 1000 yard distance was probably just asking you to stay out of its security perimeter.
they ask for 1000yd? considering they are travelling as a carrier group I would always stay a few miles away
I reckon if you get that close, there's a lot of asses that are going to get reamed to hell and back
They would basically have had to slalom in between the cruisers and destroyer escorts. And somewhere under the surface is at least one submarine as well.
we've had a destroyer sneak up on us in the night. most terrifying experience. no lights, no sound until they were only a few hundred meters away. then suddenly bright as fuck spotlight and it just powers away.
A thousand yards sounds more like a security perimeter than a question of right of way.
Cool video.
I got over 3yrs haze grey and underway, all carriers. In the 70'-80's at anchorage in a nice port teeny little boats would get close with the girls and cruise ships would come and go. A Ruskie trawler followed us to gather our trash. Underway 99% of the ships I saw were grey, maybe the battle group around us or the jets, other ships seemed to give us a bit of room.
7:05 i mean, if other vessels may also request the carrier to move, yeah
Yep- it’s a well known NAVRUL…..The Law of Gross Tonnage. Actually- yes they do because they have a security zone whose size depends on what they’re doing. When my USCG 41 was assigned to escort a carrier from Philadelphia to Delaware Bay we kept a 500 too 1000 yad security zone around it.
Required distances change drastically depending on size, weight and water conditions. They say to keep ship 3 lengths clear, but when sailing a race in a small sailing vessel inshore at a crossing course, we are fine with a single centimetre, inch or something
I remember operating a sailing boat on a lake, trying to return upwind to the dock. The wind was weak, and I didn't have good steerage because of it, so I had to call out to the kayaks to steer around me.
So, after all, lighthouses have absolute priority. Because they have NO mobility. Even NUC and RAM have to get out of their way.
These are rules for preventing collisions, not allisions or groundings.
@@jdotoz A-853
On 12th November 2021, French carrier Charles de Gaulle rammed a small, 10m yacht sailing south of Tulon. There was 1 person on board of the yacht, a 70-something year old Polish skipper. Luckily only main mast was broken, and hull of the yacht remained intact. French marines boarded the yacht and helped skipper safeguard the mast and ensure the yacht can stay afloat. The skipper told french press, that this was a one-in-a-lifetime adventure, and admired French marines professionalism and help. No casualties.
It's like bikes and cars. Sure, you might be right, but that won't matter once you get hit lol.
There are also special rules in the ATP1v2 to give way for warships, from highest priority to lowest, helicopters dipping sonar, minesweeping, Replenishment at sea, launching/recovering landing craft, launching/recovering aircraft
Thanks for keep uploading the videos ❤
I wish I got a job asap, miss my days onboard
I think there are two different questions here.
First is who has right of way, or sailing priority, or however you want to phrase it. In that case, it sounds like it doesn't matter if a ship is military or not.
The second question is safe standoff distance, which is whatever the different ships feel is acceptable. And keep in mind that military vessels don't just have to worry about collisions, they also have a much greater concern about things like terrorist attacks and hostile weapons. As someone pointed out in another thread, the USS Cole was nearly sunk by suicide bombers on a speed boat. So when they say "Please keep {X} distance away" they aren't so much talking about who has right of way to maneuver, they are more talking about their minimum security zone before they open fire...
When I was getting my boating license back in 2013, I was taught that a power driven vessel only give way to sailing vessels if the PDV displaces under 500 tons.
It seems to me that large military vessels would have right of way simply because if any other ship were to get too close, it might be considered a threat in which case it might find itself fired upon. For the carrier to radio a heave-to was more for your safety than theirs.
"I have multiple weapons, stay away or else" -> good seamanship 😅
The aircraft carrier group consists of many vessels, so, the 1,000 yard is more like 2,000 yards from the actual ship.
Hypersonic missile will get it, though.
Its not about the weapons. No military ship is going to point weapons at a bloody civilian livaboard that happens to be sailing the opposite direction from them to whatever port they have in mind to visit. Anyone who thinks military ships do that is an idiot. I have passed military vessels may time in my boat, and while I have been asked to keep a certain distance from said vessels they have never, ever pointed weapons at me because that would be stupid and irresponsible.
Really its about tonnage, my boat displaces around 40 - 45 tons fully loaded. I am NOT going to argue with an almost 10,000 ton Destroyer who would not even notice the impact, let alone a 100,000 ton Carrier. Even WITHOUT being asked I would keep distance to Port or Starboard (depending where I had the sea room) if only to avoid the worst of the wakes those ships will generate. They will not sink me, but if I were to close they would toss my boat around like a cork in a glass of water, and that could damage all sorts of important things at worse, and be a pure vomit comet ride at best.
So I keep my distance, do the same with large civilian ships as well. Right of way matters sweet FA if the other vessel will not even notice you are there if it misses your transponder and sails right over you.
@@alganhar1It CAN be about the weapons.If you keep coming closer they MAY decide you're looking to make them the next USS Cole and take steps to prevent it.
I think sometimes they have the right for you to get out of the way, if you don't want to be surrounded by 10 f16s and 100 navy seal boats that will make it clear.
It's like at a crossing on a narrow road when a big-ass construction or farming vehicle taking up 70% of the road comes barreling by. Who technically has the right of way stops mattering, you're keeping out of the way of the big boi, it's quicker and safer for everyone.
We were on a harbor brunch cruise in San Diego when one of the Navy's war ships was on its way out. We were some ways away from it but there was much pleasure and finishing boats around and the warship was giving 5 shot blasts of its air horn. I asked the stewardess refilling my Mimosa what that meant and she said "I'm bigger than you get the F outta my way".
Did they say "instructed" or "requested"? You changed it part way through the video. I would probably grant a politely made request to keep my distance. If they issued an "instruction" to stay 1,000 feet away, I would adjust my course to pass 900 feet from them as a matter of principle.
Then be prepared to face the consequences. Neither of those are a matter right of way, they are “stay this far away from me.” Do military vessels have to follow the rules? Yes, of course BUT they also have operating procedures they have to follow and maintaining a perimeter is fairly typical. They are obligated to inform approaching vessels of minimum separation and all “requests” are actually instructions. Carriers are actually special though, because they are literally floating military bases. A ship that has been told to say outside a certain distance is exactly the same as an aircraft told to stay out of a military airspace.
@@ShiningDarknes They are not instructions because they have no authority behind them. Their operating procedures govern their operations, not those of other vessels. It is not at all like military airspace. Military airspace is within a country's airspace and is governed by the laws of that country. We're talking about international waters.
@@thomasdalton1508 keep telling yourself that.
@@ShiningDarknes As long as you pass a safe distance from them, there will be no consequences. One of their patrol aircraft may overfly you to check you aren't doing anything suspicious, but that's about it. Aircraft carriers don't open fire on civilian craft that are just going about their lawful business. I suspect you are getting your information from movies instead of real life.
@@thomasdalton1508 I see you are making assumptions. I never said literally any of that.
I just love the idea of a supercarrier turning because some 1 meter long kayak asks them nicely.
"Do Aircraft Carriers Have Right of Way"
Lighthouses: No, no I don't think they do
Given that super carriers can carry tactical nuclear bombs, the lighthouse may very well not have the right of way.
@@Molly-ey6lq what's the carrier gonna do after taking out the lighthouse, beach themselves on the former lighthouse's location? Great idea.
@@SINDRIKARL1 carrier beats lighthouse, ground beats carrier
@@reizayin does that mean Lighthouse beats ground?
@@Molly-ey6lq Given that the lighthouse is ON LAND, the carrier better change course if it doesn't want to go aground and risk sinking itself.
I really love your art style. Makes me want to give the battle penguin a hug lol
0:30 "Aircraft carrier on international waters told us to stay away... Do they have right of way?"
You know, at some point in time, it's no longer about what rights they have and instead about what they can do to you and get away with it.
An aircraft carrier has the ability to make you disappear without a trace. And when what happened becomes public knowledge, they can still just say "our operational security" and carry on carrying aircrafts like a military aircraft carrier is supposed to do. They WILL deny you the ability to hang around them whenever they want because they DO have the power to sink you without having to explain themselves beyond "operational safety".
So, do they have the right of way? On legal (national or international) terms, no.
Would you do best to not test their resolve? Absolutely...
It would be like a Karen trying to argue their way out of getting murdered by a serial killer who targets Karens.
What a load of bollocks. Do you honestly think military vessels go sailing around waving their big nuclear dicks in the air and demanding special attention? The US wouldn't DREAM of opening fire on a random vessel just for not listening to their *request*, the international fallout would be massive.
Only the yanks think big guns equals big rights
If I had hundreds of aircraft, several destroyers, cruisers and submarines plus more then 2000 sailors on board, plus enough weapons systems to turn a small country into a pile of rouble, I would have the right of way
"Weapon system to turn a small into a pile of rubble" Lol you made me laugh nice comment
reminds me of the joke that ended with "I am in command of a US aircraft carrier, I demand you give way." and the response: "I am tending a lighthouse. your call."
as a small boat sailor, I will pretty much always give way to a big boat, since I will always be the more maneuverable vessel.
Before watching this video: I have done some sailing (yes, with sails on vessels about 30 feet long with no motor). The general rule is that vessels under sail have the right of way. However, if a large vessel (say a ship of some sort) that takes a half a mile or longer to make a correction, then give way! So, if you encounter an aircraft carrier, which is MASSIVE, and can cruise about around 30 knots (published), and takes a couple of miles to make a turn, GIVE WAY!!!
I can’t even imagine seeing a vessel that large going -30- knots. That’s insane.
Different perspective: does a vehicle that can annihilate you have the right of way?
depends on how strong your survival instinct is
Attacking a foreign vessel in international waters is illegal and in case of a civilian owned vessel even in times of war. So that is not a perspective at all unless you assume that the american military is criminal per se.
@@Llyd_ApDictait's not criminal to defend your vessel from someone who is trying to crash into you. You don't understand basic law, much less international law.
The video already answered that question
When it talked about how aircraft carriers are supposed to behave when not conducting flight operations
That reminds me of an old tagline... "... Incoming bullets have right of way."
most warships just prefer to keep other ships at a safe range as a rule. it's true for unknown ships, but it's true for ships in their own fleet as well. 99% probably wasn't a right of way thing, but a tactical safety thing. that said, rather educational video, thx!
The US in particular has taken a dim view of unwanted visitors ever since the bombing of the USS Cole.
It's interesting how many people in the comments seem to think there were absolutely no need to make the video about the topic, yet showed up in the comments with their opinions.
I love the animations and drawings for the f35s
I found it interesting that size never factored into the conversation. My father always taught me that while certainly a powered vessel must yield to a sail, that that was if they were of broadly similar sizes. A small pleasure sailboat is far more maneuverable than a shipping vessel, and so it's on the sailboat to avoid the powered shipping vessel. Basically the more maneuverable you are, the more it's on you to avoid everyone else. Your hierarchy mostly tracks that...but you explicitly mentioned a shipping vessel being required to avoid a small sailboat. That seems counterintuitive.
good seamanship all over the world does seem to follow this unwritten rule yes, where smaller vessels yield to larger/professional vessels
Haha,, thanks for the CON game Bonus, although I might not be able to Play it as i just graduated months ago and is Perfecting my Skills For Cadetship with Foreign Company,
I watched your RUclips ever since even before i joined my basic maritime school, ❤
the vessel with thousands of pounds of anti ship munitions and bombers probably has right of way generally