In the wake of the “Comprehensive Review of Recent Surface Force Incidents” involving the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) and USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), a number of corrective actions are already complete or in progress, and many more are on the horizon. As a retired surface warfare officer, I have the luxury of sitting back and regarding the possible contributing factors from a bit of a distance, and ask “what else could be done”? Here is one of those things: make a movie.

Most surface warfare officers of my generation and since can recall the famous phrase from the 1975 movie I Relieve You Sir, the dramatized the deadly collision between the USS Evans (DD-754) and the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne which cost 75 sailors their lives: “It’s too close for maneuvering board – we’ll have to eyeball it in.” We remember this partly because of the topic, which relates directly to our profession, and because of the way it was delivered: in a film. In today’s movement toward the concept of “Ready Relevant Learning,” the events of this past summer seem to cry out for a means to tell that story to sailors in a language and delivery format that they can relate to. Here is why this is a good idea:

• Relevance. Every step of the events that led to these deadly collisions is relevant to every ship every day. The issues of training, manning, equipment knowledge, and watchstanding proficiency are urgent and timely and need to be driven home.
• Sustainment. There have been waterfront briefings and training Power Point presentations about these events, and they are both comprehensive and accurate, but not all ships were in port and the briefings will end at some point. A well-made film will endure over time.
• Consistent messaging. In any format where an individual delivers training, the message can be shaped by the presenter, and the audience can ask questions and walk away with different takeaways. A film can be crafted to deliver the desired message, approved by Navy leadership, the same way to all audiences.
• Economy. A 20-minute film could cost up from $50,000 to $100,000 based on standard video production costs, a minuscule price in comparison to the potential millions in cost avoidance from another collision. Navy resources such as the Navy Safety Center and Navy Public Affairs Support Element have this capability, a deep reservoir of footage and related material, and the expertise to create such a product at little or no cost.
• Digestibility. The “Comprehensive Review” is 175 pages long and although well organized and written for a Navy audience, it is a long read and not targeted at the watchstander. My interaction with the waterfront indicates that while leadership has read most of it, the same is not true of many crew members—a film would resonate with today’s sailor.
• Reach: While a good reconstruction at SWOS will be an important part of officer pipeline training, a movie could reach a much broader waterfront audience – officer and enlisted – and if coordinated with SWOS, be a true force multiplier.
• Impact. The Secretary of the Navy last year said,“We should start every conversation with the names of the 17 shipmates who lost their lives and by saying ‘never again.’” Time will take its toll and this concept will fade—if we let it. Starting the movie with the faces and names of the sailors who lost their lives, and adding interviews with their shipmates and—if possible—family members, will make a lasting impression.

One obstacle to making a film is the drawn-out progress of litigation, both with the individuals involved and with potential admiralty claims. These may take time to resolve, and privacy is a concern. However, given that the information in the “Comprehensive Review” is already available to the public, sufficient detail is available to make a film that captures both events in a detailed timeline. The main lessons from the review could be turned into a script and the lessons shared now with no impact on the litigation process.

As the former investigating officer of the USS Porter (DDG-78) collision back in 2012, I am keenly aware that many of my team’s recommendations were buried in the JAGMAN investigation and never made it to the level of Navy-wide action items due to concerns for privacy and legal releasability. The Porter collision did not garner the level of interest that these collisions have despite the fact that the only reason the Porter collision resulted in no fatalities was that the ship that she collided with was so big that the bulbous bow (the part of the ship that penetrated berthing compartments in the Fitzgerald and John S. McCain) passed beneath the keel of the Porter. It would be a shame to repeat that mistake, especially given the themes of becoming a “learning organization” in both the “Comprehensive Review” and “Strategic Review of Surface Force Readiness.” In this case, the potential to save lives by perhaps avoiding a future collision seems to outweigh the restrictions imposed by ongoing litigation.

A film would also make the point that this can happen to anyone; I found it disconcerting when one senior officer opined in conversation that the real root cause was “pure negligence”—a dangerous conclusion that seems (to this author) to carry a subtle implication that “this would not happen on my ship”. As Captain Kevin Eyer noted in a recent series of Proceedings articles on the topic, “there but for the grace of God go each of us who has sailed in harm’s way, or transited a traffic separation zone at night!” There is a real danger that the key takeaways from the “Comprehensive Review” will be lost, or misconstrued, over time.

I have been fortunate to have recent experience in this area that seems to show the value of this approach. I teach Navy maintenance and one topic that generates much discussion is the PMS Spot Check. After teaching this topic with PowerPoint slides for several years, the Navy Safety Center made a 12-minute video on the topic at the request of the Navy Surface Type Commander. One sailor shared on his class critique that “I have been spot checked dozens of times, but until I saw this video, I never understood what this process is all about.” A film is something that this generation can understand, and there are a vast number of ways to make it available. Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS) has created a simulation of the USS Fitzgerald collision, a fantastic training tool, for which such a film would be a great compliment. There is no doubt in my mind that a movie based on the review would be both effective and memorable if done properly. As Dan Steber of the Navy Safety Center Video Center is fond of saying, “If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million.” In this case, a very small investment could result in a quick, relatable, consistent message to be incorporated in SWOS pipeline training, waterfront bridge resource management events, and shipboard training programs.

It has been more than 40 years since the Navy made a movie this important—now is the time for a new generation of bridge and CIC watch standers to learn the importance of the words, “I relieve you Sir.”