USS Minneapolis St. Paul - Monday Morning Quarterbacking

Monday, January 22, 2007 by The Chief.

The Navy has a new tradition of Monday Morning quarterbacking. Commanding Officers used to get some slack in the operation of their commands, but that was before their were so many more Officers ready for command than there were commands.

The Navy’s treatment of CDR Mooney was not unexpected, but was still wrong. Nevertheless, CDR Mooney and CDR Ruff understood the rules when they took command.

I’m guessing that the MSP was given urgent orders, and CDR Ruff wanted to show how quickly he could get on station and save the world. He gambled by not staying inside the breakwater to offload the pilot, and two sailors are dead because of it.

When this story first broke, I was willing to withhold judgment until more facts were available. I think the facts clearly show that CDR Ruff made a bad decision. OTOH, I think the Navy has far too few submarines to do all of the tasks expected of the Silent Service, and that adds to the pressure on the remaining boats to perform. A Safety Stand-Down will not solve this problem.

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