USS McCain collision ultimately caused by UI confusion
There was a ferry accident involving a similar transfer of control problem in New York harbor.[1] Ferries have a lot of maneuvering modes and directional thrusters, because they do so many dockings, and so they have a more complex control problem. The pilot put the system into a backup dumb mode while in cruise, then changed stations to where he could best see the dock while still in the wrong mode. Rammed the dock at 12 knots. 79 injured, 4 seriously.<p>This is bad design. All the controls that can steer the ship should be tied together and move together.  How to do that was figured out decades ago.<p>The Navy still has this thing where they hate to give control of both speed and steering to the same person.  The helmsman and engine room take orders from the officer that has the conn. But that officer doesn&#x27;t actually operate the controls.  Some enlisted sailors do. This dates from the age of sail and steam. Merchant shipping gave this up decades ago.<p>Back in the 1950s, the U.S. Navy built the USS Albacore. This was an experimental submarine to test out the teardrop-hull concept.  It wasn&#x27;t nuclear; it was just a test vehicle to see how such a hull form handled.  It was expected to be more maneuverable than previous designs, so it was set up with aircraft-like controls. One person sat in the pilot&#x27;s seat, strapped in facing forward, looking at aircraft-type instruments, and controlled all the maneuvering controls.  It was a very agile craft.<p>The brass hated it. The person in the pilot&#x27;s seat was really the one in charge.  The officers were just back-seat drivers. To this day, the Navy sets up nuclear submarines so that different people steer, control power, and control buoyancy.<p>(The British in WWII tried to control aircraft with multiple people. As bombers got bigger, they wanted to put a senior officer in charge, but younger people were better pilots. So they had an &quot;aircraft commander&quot; back-seat driving, as well as a pilot handling the controls. This did not work out at all and was rapidly dropped.)<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ntsb.gov&#x2F;news&#x2F;press-releases&#x2F;Pages&#x2F;PR20140408c.aspx" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ntsb.gov&#x2F;news&#x2F;press-releases&#x2F;Pages&#x2F;PR20140408c.a...</a>