TCG Muavenet (DM 357)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Launched: | see USS Gwin (DM-33) |
| Acquired: | 15 August 1971 |
| Fate: | crippled by Sea Sparrow missiles fired from USS Saratoga on 1 October 1992, broken up for scrap |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2,200 tons |
| Length: | 376 ft 5 in (114.7 m) |
| Beam: | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Draft: | 15 ft 8 in (4.8 m) |
| Speed: | 34 kts |
| Armament: | 6 5", 8 20mm., 4 dcp., 2 dct. |
- For other ships of the same name, see Muavenet.
TCG Muavenet (DM-357) (previously USS Gwin (DM-33), transferred in 1971) was a destroyer minelayer of the Turkish Navy crippled by two Sea Sparrow missiles fired from the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga during a NATO exercise in Saros Bay, Turkey in 1992, resulting in death and injury among its crew.
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[edit] Sea Sparrow Incident
During the fall of 1992, the United States, Turkey, and several other NATO members participated in "Exercise Display Determination 1992", a combined forces naval exercise under the overall command of Admiral Jeremy Michael Boorda of the United States Navy. The forces of participating nations were assigned to either of two multinational teams. Vice Admiral T. Joseph Lopez of the United States Navy led the "Brown Forces," which included Saratoga. The opposing "Green Forces," including Muavenet were under the direct control of Admiral Kroon of the Netherlands.
During the "enhanced tactical" phase of the training exercises, the Brown Forces were to attempt an amphibious landing at Saros Bay in the Aegean Sea against the resistance offered by the Green Forces. Admiral Boorda ordered the units comprising each force to actively seek and "destroy" each other. Both task force commanders had full authority to engage the enemy when and where they deemed appropriate and to use all warfare assets at their disposal to achieve victory. Needless to say, all confrontations were intended to be simulated attacks.
On 1 October 1992 the Combat Direction Center Officer aboard Saratoga decided to launch a simulated attack on nearby opposition forces utilizing the Sea Sparrow missile system. After securing the approval of Saratoga's Commanding Officer and the Battle Group Commander, Rear Admiral Philip Dur, the Combat Direction Center Officer implemented the simulated assault plan. Without providing prior notice, officers on Saratoga woke the enlisted Sea Sparrow missile team and directed them to conduct the simulated attack. According to U.S. Navy, certain members of the missile firing team were not told that the exercise was a drill, rather than an actual event.
As the drill progressed, the missile system operator used language to indicate he was preparing to fire a live missile, but due to the absence of standard terminology, the responsible officers failed to appreciate the significance of the terms used and the requests made. Specifically, the Target Acquisition System operator issued the command "arm and tune", terminology the console operators understood to require arming of the missiles in preparation for actual firing. The officers supervising the drill did not realize that "arm and tune" signified a live firing. As a result, shortly after midnight on the morning of 2 October, Saratoga fired two live Sea Sparrow missiles at Muavenet. The missiles struck Muavenet in the bridge, destroying it and the Combat Information Center, killing 5 of the ship's officers and injuring twenty-two. The sailors who actually fired the missiles were not punished, but the ships Commanding officer Captain James M. Drager[1], four officers and three enlisted men received Admirals non-judicial punishment, an action that the New York Times stated would effectively end their US Navy careers.[2] USS Capodanno (FF-1093) was given to Turkey by the United States Navy as part of the restitution for the accident and it was renamed TCG Muavenet (F-250) by Turkey.
[edit] Lawsuit
On 29 September 1994, some of the Turkish Navy sailors serving aboard the Muavenet instituted legal action against the United States government. The action encompassed 2 wrongful death claims and 299 personal injury claims. On 20 February 1997, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court ruling against them. Their conclusion was that:
This case presents a nonjusticiable political question because it would require a court to interject itself into military decisionmaking and foreign policy, areas the Constitution has committed to coordinate branches of government.
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- ^ CAPT James M. Drager would retire and become Vice president of corporate shipbuilding for Carnival Cruise lines from 1993 - 2005 and Director, Ship Construction and Fleet Management for Maritime Management International.
- ^ The New York Times. Navy Will Forgo Courts-Martial In Missile Firing That Killed Turks. By ERIC SCHMITT, Published: December 2, 1992.
