On Thu, 29 Jun 2017 13:15:08 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 6/29/2017 11:23 AM, wrote:

The way I heard it all of the engines were off. (against standing
orders)


Who really knows? However if so, they would have heard the destroyer
bearing in on them, especially at night.

I believe the one engine idling account. I imagine that even at idle
one of those 12 cylinder engines made enough noise to mask the sound of
the destroyer plowing through the water at high speed. Even if they
finally heard it, it's could have been very difficult to detect and
pinpoint where sound was coming from on the open water in pitch black
conditions. I have been in a situation like that
where visibility was about 30 feet and an approaching ferry was sounding
it's horn in the fog. Impossible to tell where the sound was coming
from. Thankfully, I had radar.

RADAR has it's own downside. Even in WWII they had RADAR detectors.
You are illuminating yourself when you turn it on.
The controversy was over the question of if he did have one running
since that was the SOP and what I heard he didn't, for exactly the
reason you cite. They thought they could hear a ship coming if all of
them were off. Dunno, it was just chatter around the Navy Department
in 1960 during the election.