Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-29
THE ILLINOIS 4! INJURY
Captain CoWles Exonerated
by Court Of Inquiry.
IT'S REPoBE APPROVED
NO FURTHER FaocnrD1ras WILL
BE TAKEN.
Proceedings and Correspondence in
Connection With the Collision
Made Public.


l
|
| Secretary Moody today made public ali
| the reports and correspondence in connec-
ton with the collision between the battle
| ship Missouri, commanded by Capt. VIM.
| 8. Cowles, and the battle ship Illinois. COM
| manded by Capt. r. B. Bradford, near
| Guantanamo, on the LIST instant as a
| consequence of which the Illinois had to
| be sent to the New York navy yard for re-
| pairs to her propeller strut, shafting, etc.
| The Secretary approved the report OF the
court of inquiry, which recommended that
no further proceedings be taken.
Opinion Of the Court.
After reviewing all the circumstances at
| tending the collision as disclosed by the
evidence, the court of inquiry expressed its
| opinion as follows:
| AS to the question of responsibility, the
| court Is of the opinion that the collision
was not due to fault or negligence on the
| part of the commanding officer or any Off
Ger or man of the Illinois. On board the
! Missouri Capt. Cowles gave the necessary
| orders for Immediately reversing the en-
| gines for full speed astern, repeated the
| signal as an emergency signal and ordered
! the display of the signal which should warn
| the Illinois of the Missouri's breakdown
| and movements, but failed to indicate the
course to starboard by one blast of the
| whistle. and of backing by three blasts, in
addition to or in advance of the speed cone
| signals, and also failed to sound the siren
/ as a call for collision when collision be-
came inevitable. The orders for the dis
| play of the signal by dispatch flag was not
| obeyed by the officer-of-the-deck, Lieut.. w.
| Pitt Scott, United States navy, or was not
| obeyed with sufficient promptness to be Of
service to the Illinois, while the absence OF
| prescribed whistle signals left the captain
| of the Illinois in absolute ignorance Of the
| Missouris actual movements.
The testimony on this point. especially
with regard to the dispatch flag, is directly
conflicting, but the preponderance of dis
| interested testimony leaves no doubt In
| the mind of the court as to the fact. This
| failure to convey to the Illinois direct and
| immediate information as to actual con-
! ditions on board the Missouri was. in the
| opinion of the court, after the accident to
| the steering engine, the secondary cause of
| the collision. The court lays stress on the
| fact shown in aYidehce that the Missouri
was an undrille6 ship, newly commissioned.
| introduced into squadron of evolution
| without previous Experimental work to de-
| termine her tactical diameters for varying
| helm angles. or ef2tactical qualities as
| certainly contemplated in the General In
| structions and the Tactical Signal Book.
! and without previous practice with an
| other ship in section. 4
Third Cause of Collision.
| The third cause of the collision was the
! backing of the Engines on board the ILL
! nois. The court is of the opinion that this
action on the part Of Captain Bradford
| was by no means an error of judgment, or
| a fault, or an act Of Negligence on his part.
| On the contrary, guided, as he was, solely
/ by such observation as he, himself could
| make on the movements Of the Missouri.
| and misled by signals actually displayed
| by the Missouri. his conclusion was just
| and his action wise. In other words, had
| the Missouri been actually doing what her
| speed cones, and the absence of other sig
| nails, showed, namely: steering course at
a high rate of speed at close distance across
| the Illinois bow, the obvious course for the
| Illinois to pursue was to let her pass.
| The previous sheer already alluded to
| shows the court that had Captain Bradford
had, in his opinion, sufficient time and
| room he would have run of with port
| helm.
| Captain Cowles acted promptly and de-
| csively in the expedient which he adopted
| to control his ships Roadway. Whatever
/ expedient he adopted, however, had his
| course been Immediately communicated to
| the Illinois by the prescribed signals, the
| latter could have Unanswered to avoid the
| collision.
| Notwithstanding the omission of signals
noted on the part of the captain and the
| officer of the deck of the Missouri, the
| court recommends no further proceedings
Rear Admiral Bankers Approval.
| The court of inquiry was composed Of
Rear Admiral w. c. Wise, Capt. c. H.
Davis and Capt. ]. C. Eaton, with Lieut.
| F. H. Clark as judge advocate. Rear Ad-
miral A. S. Barker, commanding the North
| Atlantic feet forwarded the report of the
! court to the department with his approval,
Except in minor particulars" and recon-
| nended that there be no further proceed
/ ings." In his review Admiral Barker said,
in part: .a
| ing to their best judgment, and they found
no fault with their officers or crews.
"The comparative slowness in making
| the necessary signals On the part of the
| Missouri was due without doubt to the
/ fact that the ship was newly commissioned,
] as the order to work the cones and break
| the dispatch flag was given promptly.
| Though regretting deeply the collision.
| coming at this time of record target prac-
| tice. am sure that good will result in i'm
| pressing upon the officers and crews of our
| vessels the value of extreme vigilance and
| of promptness of action when handling ves-
| sells in fleet or squadron maneuvers and in
| acting on the side of safety, should any
: doubt exist as to the Interpretation of
rules
| orandum on the case, recommends, in view
| of the conclusions of Rear Admiral Barker,
| that the record in the case be filed and
that no further action be taken.
Secretary's Letter to Admiral Dewey.
| Secretary Moody submitted the case to
| Admiral Dewey In letter In which he said:
| las you know. various questions arising
out of the collision between the Missouri
and Illinois have given me great concern.
Following our conference yesterday March
30. should be very glad to receive your
I views upon them { /. do not wish to shirk
my own duty in any respect or place my
burdens upon your shoulders, but the Inn
portant and delicate Questions suggested by
the court of inquiry are so much concerned
with practical seamanship that feel that
| l am entitled to receive your well-consider-
ed views. and justified in acting upon them.
| wish to take such action as seems desira-
| BILE to lessen the1chal1ce Of recurrence of
an accident of this kind. and also to deal
with exact justice 80 all concerned /
| therefore should be glad to receive your
| opinion, with leave to use 1t as basis of
action, upon the fals2Ring questions:
| Il. Is is desirable that new ships recently
put into commission should have an inter-