Naval Vessels, Shadowy by Intent, Are Hard for Commercial Ships to Spot
Very interesting article about a contributing cause to recent naval accidents.
Hard to see and hard to track electronically, naval vessels have long posed special perils to nighttime navigation. That has proved deadly this summer in crowded waters like those near Singapore and Tokyo, where another United States warship, the Fitzgerald, was struck by a cargo freighter under a waning crescent moon on June 17.
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Naval ships, designed to avoid detection by enemy fleets and aircraft, are exempt from an international requirement that vessels automatically and continuously broadcast their position, course and speed. They tend to have fewer lights than many commercial vessels, making them harder to pick out. They are painted gray to blend into the sea during wartime but become even more difficult to spot at night. And a growing number of modern naval vessels, including the John S. McCain, are designed to scatter incoming radar signals, so that they are less detectable.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/world/asia/navy-collision-uss-mccain-oil-tanker.html?emc=edit_nn_20170825&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=78729764&te=1
