Original subtitles

It's going to be difficult to find them without radar, Skipper.

Can't even see our own bow.

If they're out there, we'll find them.

Remember that exercise off Ibiza?

Back before either one of us was allowed near the ward room.

There you go.

All engines ahead standard. All engines ahead standard, aye.

Contact 4 ,000 yards off the port bow. Apparent heading north -northeast. It's

Turkish destroyer, sir.

All engines ahead, flank.

All engines ahead, flank. Aye.

Sir, wouldn't it be safer to withdraw the missile firing range?

And what would the crew learn from that?

Steady up on 3 -4 -0.

I want to overtake them on a starboard quarter. Steady 3 -4 -0, sir. Weapons

bridge, standby mount 1.

Obstacle tracking only.

Simulated fire.

Stand by.

Release battle.

PIC reports direct hit, sir.

Radio bridge, this is the captain. Break MCON and tell them they've just been

sunk.

Captain, the Turkish ship has turned its opening into our path.

Heartbreak runner.

Heartbreak runner eyes.

Is radar up and running? Yes, sir. They're 1 ,000 yards and closing.

All engines back full. All engines back full, aye.

Radio contact to Turk. Tell them they are in X -driven.

X -O, sound the collision alarm.

Aye, aye, sir.

600 yards.

400 yards.

All hands, brace for impact.

100 yards.

Now, you and the Turkish team were on opposite sides in the exercise?

That's right, ma 'am. A NATO trans attack.

It's like a big game of hide -and -seek. Eight U .S. and Italian ships seeking,

four Turkish ships hiding.

You found one?

Yes, sir.

I understand they're blaming a Greek ship that wasn't even part of the

Passed any feet there, Chief?

Hey, not bad yourself.

Oh, my apologies, Skipper. No problem, Commander.

I'm Commander Rapp, Lieutenant Colonel McKenzie. Skipper, any news on the

Turkish casualties?

Still seven dead, two missing.

If so, is that a dispatch from Com 6th Fleet relieving me of command?

Only temporarily, sir.

We'll see.

Commander, I realize that the timing is bad, but...

We're required to get a statement from the commanding officers of all three

ships. And I won't keep you from your rounds. This is my statement.

We got caught in a fog bank searching for the enemy.

It cleared. We found ourselves two miles from the Gullibulu.

I closed range.

It changed course. I hit it.

Seven dead, two missing. End of story.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.

Even though I'm not the CO anymore.

Even if I'm not the commanding officer anymore.

This does not mean I cannot lend a hand.

Now, you were running without radar or lights when the United States ship hit

you. All ships were on ENCOM.

Total emissions blackout.

So the United States ship couldn't see you when they hit?

They saw clearly enough to fire at us when they came out of the fog.

They should have been able to see we were having a problem.

With the Greek ship?

Yes. The one trying to ram us.

I didn't try to ram them. I attempted a shouldering maneuver. It was an

appropriate response.

To what, Commander?

We saw a vessel outside shipping lanes running without lights. I did what I was

supposed to do. Did you try hailing them?

Several times by radio, but we received no response.

We couldn't respond.

M -Con means no radio, no sonar, no radar.

Navigation, how do you say it, by the feet of our pants?

This was the same way the U .S. ship was navigating?

Yes, it was the rule of the exercise.

Eventually, we replied to the Nexus by signal light.

We identified ourselves and informed them of the exercise.

They just kept coming.

It didn't matter who they claimed to be. They could have been anyone.

And that's when you decided to shoulder them?

No. That's when I decided to contact my chain of command to see if there was any

such exercise scheduled.

There was not.

Colonel, I do not attack another ship on a wing.

The Turks left me no choice. I informed them they were in Greek territorial

waters and ordered them to change their course. Greek territorial waters?

Within three nautical miles of the Greek island of Anaxios of Arachos.

We call it Kymetsiskaya.

It's an uninhabited rock.

The Greek claim has no validity, even if it did.

We were on a NATO operation exercising our right of innocent passage, so what

does it matter?

Captain, what did you do when you saw the Naxos heading towards you? I

immediately broke M -Con and ordered hard right rudder, which brought us

to the path of the American ship. You took these actions immediately, knowing

that breaking M -Con would disqualify you from the war games?

Come this way.

It was my first night on board.

I woke up on the floor.

I tried to move, but my hip...

They say it's shattered.

The bow of the American ship was right there in my quarters.

Then it reversed.

They saw Lieutenant Engie, my bankmate, tangled in the American

anchor chain, all torn up.

And I watched him go by.

I'll behold the ship made of the bulkhead.

This man is alive.

Seven are not.

I did not hazard my ship to win a game.

Good morning, Lieutenant.

Can you use LexisNexis? And Westlaw, ma 'am. I need you to run a search on the

precedents involving Article 134, abuse of a public animal.

You could start with the loser cases again, ma 'am. Every time they go out of

town. I wish we could spend more time together, Mikey, but with everybody

gone... No problem, I'll just spend the day with Harriet.

I love diapering my nephew.

You know, I could postpone a motion hearing a few hours up after lunch.

sweat it. My ship was on ORE for the last 30 hours before we got to Norfolk,

a little nap wouldn't hurt.

Coffee messes this way, right?

That way.

What kind of donut do you want, Lieutenant?

I don't eat those anymore.

Sprinkles, right, sir?

Rainbow.

Are you all right? I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry.

Sorry. Oh, my God.

Hey, Robert.

Man, got me to find a girl like that.

What would you do?

I'd, uh, you know.

Hey, Victor.

Hey, Val. All right.

I'm sorry, Gunny. I didn't know she was your girlfriend.

She's not.

She's my sister.

Hey, could you get a long lunch, Vic? The Vermeer show's over at the National

Gallery. Oh, I'd love to, but I can't. The Vermeer show's over.

They got Art Nouveau now.

What? Art Nouveau kicks ass.

What? Mike.

Valerie. I was going to go see you if you want to go.

We could both go.

You sure you can't come?

Let's go.

All right.

Oh, hey, Mikey. I was able to clear away a few animals.

Where's my brother going?

Out with my sister.

Turkish captain is blaming the Greeks. Man, the Greek is pointing it right back

at the Turks. How has this been going on for a thousand years, sir?

Turks drink Iraqi, Greeks drink Ouzo. They're identical, but try telling them.

What about the American captain?

Commander James Merrick, the outstanding service director of Golden Anchor War

for Retention, John Paul Jones Award for Leadership, and he's the only one not

working overtime to cover his butt.

That's refreshing.

More refreshing not to have to compete with officials from four different

countries. We're tripping over each other out there, sir.

Try dealing with admirals from four different countries with their defense

ministers looking over their shoulders, making sure nobody forgets their

political achievements.

There's the press.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for all your interest.

We will answer all your questions at the press briefing.

Follow me, please.

Some of those reporters are like damn good Marines.

We are the nation that gave the world paparazzi.

Now, please, sit.

So, you are the American team in our investigative Olympics.

Yes, sir.

Admiral Picardo commanded the NATO transit exercise.

Oh, Admiral, we need to speak with you.

Speak? Sir, Commander Vlahakis, the Greek skipper, claims we never received

that the transit exercise was being conducted.

My office informed the Greek Navy via fleet command at Salamis.

So the Greeks were at fault, sir?

There was apparently an unfortunate breakdown in communications.

Admiral, why were games held near an island, the ownership of which is

between Greece and Turkey?

The up area was 75 ,000 square kilometers, Commander.

Find me a section of the A .G. on that side without a dozen disputed islets,

I will be happy to use it.

Admiral Baccaro, don't you have a meeting?

Yes, with the NATO press office.

A different sort of damage control than I learned at the Naval Academy.

Good day, gentlemen.

Colonel? Sir.

Admiral, we should be going.

We have a meeting with a Turkish translator to go over the Gallipoli's

Oh, that won't be necessary.

We're past the investigation stage on this.

Mr. Secretary, we've hardly begun.

The key facts of the collision are not in dispute.

Apparently not even by Commander Merrick, according to your report.

He will be prosecuted. For what, sir?

Dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel, and manslaughter.

Seven counts.

I don't see how primary responsibility can be assigned to Commander Merrick at

this point, sir. Mr. Secretary, what about the captains of the other ships?

Greeks and the Turks are frying their fish. We're frying ours.

Unless you want to argue that the Uniform Code of Military Justice applies

officers of foreign navies.

No, sir.

Good. Sir, we're just concerned that the prosecution of Commander Merrick may be

premature. Really?

Does anybody here remember the TCG Moabinet?

Turkish destroyer said the USS Saratoga accidentally hit with live missiles

during a war game in 92.

Killed five sailors. No one was court -martialed. Was Commander Merrick on the

Saratoga, sir?

The Turks are making noises about revoking our use of their airfields to

the Iraqi no -fly zone.

How is that our department? Anything that affects America's national security

interest is our department. At least that's the impression I've been laboring

under.

Yes, sir. Oh, for God's sakes, AJ. Merrick, plow his ship into another

At least seven people are dead.

Yes, sir.

Turkey needs to know that we are taking this one seriously.

I understand.

I'll assign my best people. I want you to prosecute.

Me? Yes, AJ.

So they'll know we are taking this one seriously.

I trust you'll allow me to name the defense council?

AJ, you know I trust you.

Good.

Because I want to make sure Commander Merrick's defense team is just as

sir.

So, what was your favorite?

Um, Ford's Theater.

No, Magnum's Aloha shirt at the Smithsonian.

No, wait.

The tiramisu.

If you want to walk up the tiramisu, you'll check out DuPont Circle or... I

should probably get back to my brother.

You know, I am supposedly spending time with him.

Come on, I go back aboard ship on Wednesday. You can see him all week.

Well, what about your brother?

Aren't you supposed to be spending time with him?

I saw him this morning.

You know what I need right now?

Another cappuccino?

To dance.

I mean, you're not tired, are you?

Okay. I know some clubs. You're 21, right?

My driver's license says 22.

If I'm asleep in my quarters and a radar operator with a bad cold gets blurry

eyes and he doesn't see a blip on his screen and we hit a rowboat, I'm

responsible because I'm the commanding officer.

Now, if I'm on the bridge...

And we hit a 4 ,000 -ton destroyer. A number of factors led to that collision,

Commander. Colonel, there are always a number of factors.

But somebody has to be responsible.

Otherwise, next time, nobody will be. We respect the responsibility that comes

with command, but to volunteer to take the blame... When I volunteered to be a

naval officer 22 years ago, I accepted that something like this could happen.

What, to become a scapegoat?

What would you propose that I do?

The prosecution will try to prove you acted negligently. We will show that you

made legitimate choices according to the situation.

That this collision is the result of a long chain of events.

Misjudgment by the skippers, miscommunications, faulty equipment.

Dust in my eyes, full moon, that sort of thing.

I am not some old lady with a lap full of hot coffee.

That is not the way I do things. And letting our client take the fall for

is not the way we do things. Now, Commander... Carmen, if he doesn't want

fight, we can't make it. Colonel, I joined the Navy to fight, like my father

my grandfather before me.

But they served 56 years between them without killing seven people in a war

game.

Answer.

Excuse me.

Commander, you're right on time. We're trying to convince your CO not to fall

his sword.

Skipper, I just received this order from the prosecutor to testify against you.

That was great!

Victor would never take me to any place like that. He wouldn't even know it

existed. Well, you gotta know where to go.

Where's the best place to see the sunrise?

Jefferson Memorial Title Base.

Come on, I'll take you.

What would he want you to testify about?

I don't know.

Oh, I think we both know.

When we came out of that fog, you recommended that I withdraw to missile

instead of approaching a Turkish ship.

That doesn't mean anything.

It might mean something to a court -martial panel.

Recommending is an XO's job.

And the captain makes his own decisions.

I won't testify against you. You have no choice, Commander. It's an order.

I don't care, sir.

Tim, if you respect me at all, you'll follow that order. And help send you to

Leavenworth?

No, sir.

Well, your XO is willing to disobey an order to defend you, Commander. What are

you willing to do?

Wait five minutes.

Can't believe I, uh, ruled on you.

Hey, it happens to the best of us.

Oh, I wish you didn't have to go back to your ship so soon. Well, um, I could,

uh, come back, uh, next Friday.

How was the art nouveau?

Nouveau? Oh, my mistake, Roberts.

And I guess it's also my mistake to think that you can see an art exhibit in

less than 19 hours.

Oh, come on, Vic.

Valerie.

Inside.

Are you trying to send me to my room? I'm trying to get you or the swabby here

to tell me what the hell you've been doing for the last 19 hours.

Sightseeing. Sightseeing?

Yeah, sightseeing.

Sally, when you stand under my roof, you don't go out all night long.

Newsflash, Vic.

I'm 20 years old and you are not my father.

I was sightseeing.

Good night, Mikey.

Your motion is rather unusual, Commander.

You're saying the relationship between commanding officer and executive officer

is the same as between husband and wife?

Not exactly, Your Honor.

I should hope not. But I do believe there should be a limit on the

ability to compel an executive officer to testify against his commanding

officer. Like husband and wife.

It's more like lawyer -client, Your Honor. For the success of their mission,

CO and his or her XO must be able to communicate freely and openly. The fear

that one might later be called upon to incriminate the other could impede the

necessary flow of information and advice.

Is my learned opponent suggesting that an executive officer might not tell his

commanding officer that they are under attack because of some fear of legal

liability? He might not tell his commanding officer how he feels an

should be dealt with if he's afraid that he might later be prosecuted for giving

bad advice.

Commander, do you have a scrap of law to support this notion?

I believe it's inherent in the structure of the naval service, Your Honor.

Inherent, but unstated.

Your Honor, the executive officer on the Moreau Smith has pertinent testimony.

If you're breath, Admiral, he can testify.

Motion denied.

Hearing adjourned.

We'll meet you outside.

Interesting motion, Commander.

Thank you, sir.

Preposterous. Sir, you must admit it is a little distasteful to compel

Lieutenant Commander Bryant to testify.

Distasteful? We having a garden party here, Colonel?

Yeah, sure. That's right.

I'm going to convict Commander Merrick.

If there's any doubt, they'll disappear when you see your client packed off to

Leavenworth. Have a nice day.

After we received the message that we'd been sunk, the collision came very soon.

So Commander Merrick took the time to tell you that he'd won the war game, but

didn't bother to tell you he was about to hit you.

That is correct, sir.

When did the warning message come?

When it was too late to do anything about it.

Thank you, Captain.

Captain, I'd like you to walk us through the collision from the beginning, if

you would, sir.

We were cruising at 12 knots.

The Greek ship approached us on our port beam.

A little farther forward.

Then they ordered us to stand clear.

And what was your action?

Using our signal lights, I identified our vessel and informed them we were

conducting a NATO transit exercise.

How did they respond?

They repeated their order.

I immediately changed course.

Immediately? Your communications log indicates messages from the Naxos over a

period of eight minutes before you changed course, Captain. I had to

that. The other ship was not a participant in the exercise.

Well, haven't they identified themselves as a Greek warship, Captain?

It's common to use cover and deception tactics.

It could have been the other team, pretending.

Pretending by turning on their lights and breaking income.

It is possible.

Captain, are you familiar with paragraph 9 of your op orders?

I am familiar with the op orders, not with paragraph numbers.

Cab, would you please read the highlighted portion?

Any participant breaking MCOM for other than an emergency will be disqualified

and directed to vacate the operations area.

So had the other ship been a participant, they would have already

disqualified by turning on their lights. Isn't this true?

Yes. So did you wait the eight minutes because you didn't want to forfeit the

exercise or because you didn't understand the rules, Cab?

I did nothing wrong.

Captain, aren't you currently the subject of an investigation by Turkish

authorities? They are investigating, yes. So during this eight minutes that

were doing nothing wrong, how much did the gap between you and the Naxos close?

I'm sure you will tell me.

No, Captain, I'd like you to tell me. What was the distance between your ship

and the Naxos when they first ordered you to stand clear?

9 ,000 yards.

And what was the distance when you finally complied?

1 ,000 yards.

Leaving you only one direction to turn, in which to avoid a collision with the

Nazis.

I ordered the Turks to change their course before I approached them.

But then you deliberately steered toward another ship, violating the most basic

rule of prudent navigation.

My duty supersedes those rules when I'm defending Greek territorial waters.

From a NATO ship on a NATO exercise?

I had no proof of that.

NATO Southern Command records show the notification of the exercise was sent to

your fleet headquarters.

It never reached me. Your own ship's log shows the message was received at 0600

the morning of the collision.

This message was erroneously delivered to my chief engineer.

It was only located afterward.

In your first statement following the collision, didn't you say that you had

contacted your command and been told that there was no exercise in that area?

I thought my XO had contacted our command. In fact... He only checked my

ship's record.

So isn't it fair to say that there was dereliction of duty aboard your ship? By

whom?

By the seaman who misdirected the message. The chief engineer who failed

forward it. The executive officer who didn't find it. And me, Cardinal?

Isn't it a fact, Commander, that if you had seen the message, there would have

been no collision?

Objection, Your Honor. Calls for conclusion.

Good day.

Would you have challenged the Galibalu had you known about the exercise?

Lieutenant, about your supply requisition.

Not now, Tyner.

I thought you were through with the Ballard case, ma 'am.

Oh, I would be. The brother of you there hadn't come in two hours late because

of personal reasons on the day that I needed him to get my witness statement.

Yes, ma 'am.

Gunny, this requisition form you filled out for Staples, I can't tell if that's

a 7 or a 2. It makes a difference between standard point and chisel point.

Tyner.

Go away and don't ever ask me about Staples again.

Keiner, sorry.

Sorry. Just... Listen, you were talking to Petty Officer Roberts the other day.

Did he mention anything about a girl?

What's going on, Betty?

Nothing, sir.

Well, you mentioned my brother's name?

Sir,

permission to speak freely?

As you know, sir, your brother took my sister out the other day. So?

He kept her out all night.

And I have reason to believe that his behavior was less than honorable.

What, did your sister tell you this? No, sir. He did.

Hey, Val, guess who? It's the guy who drooled all over your lap.

Sorry I couldn't go all night last time, but if you want to give me a second

chance, I'll be back in town on Friday.

All right, later.

Dark, foggy night, ships running without radar.

Sounds like a dangerous exercise, Admiral.

All exercises have a risk factor, but the op orders were to reduce speed to

knots if visibility was below 200 yards.

Did Commander Merrick comply with that, Director?

Apparently not. Who do you think is responsible for the collision between

ship and the Glee balloon?

Objection. That's what this proceeding is meant to determine, Your Honor. Your

Honor, this is the 23rd NATO exercise.

Admiral Picardo has directed these more than qualified expressive opinions.

I agree. Objection overruled. I believe Commander Merrick displayed bad judgment

in approaching the Galibalu as he did.

I believe he is exercising bad judgment now in attempting to shift blame to

everyone but himself.

Look to strike, Your Honor, non -responsive and irrelevant.

Granted, members will disregard the last statement.

No more questions.

Admiral, if a captain is responsible for everything that happens aboard his

ship, it should follow that an exercise commander would be responsible for

everything that happens during an exercise.

There are limits to command responsibility, Commander.

I was 200 miles away.

Well, isn't it a fact, sir, that the prosecution of Commander Merrick

after a meeting of high -level officials from several NATO countries? We had all

gathered, including your Secretary of the Navy.

to discuss an incident that involved several of our member nations, including

Greece and Turkey.

Jackson, relevant.

Your Honor, if you'll allow me a little leeway, sir, I believe I can establish

relevance. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, Commander, for the moment.

Thank you, sir.

Admiral Picardo, hasn't the fact that Greece and Turkey are historic enemies

complicated the mission of NATO? They have their differences, but they get

along. Were they getting along last October when Turkey blocked Greek jets

involved in a NATO exercise from flying over two Aegean islands?

No, they were not getting along. And when the incident in discussion here

occurred, wasn't there special concern, sir, because it once again involved

Greece and Turkey?

No. No, even though the Greek and Turkish prime ministers issued

immediately following the collision, blaming one another?

They are politicians, Commander.

Well, there's a NATO, a political organization, sir, as well as a military

Oh, it lives!

I've been asleep for 12 hours. I thought you were used to getting up at the

crack of dawn.

Yeah, well, I need to save up my energy.

Good idea.

Harry and I got lots of plans for this weekend.

We figured we'd all go hiking on the Appalachian Trail on Saturday, maybe go

Annapolis, do some antiquing on Sunday. I was kind of planning on staying in

town. What, and miss out on all this great weather?

Um, weekend snow expected.

Oh.

Well, we could go to Baltimore and hammer some crabs.

I sort of have a date.

With Valerie Galendez.

Maybe. Why?

Well, Gunny's kind of worried about you and her.

We just like to hang out. I mean, she's cool and all, but it's just, you know.

Mikey, Gunny's sort of overprotective.

She can handle him.

She can?

I can, too. What's he going to do to me?

Break your arms.

I don't care. You don't care that he's going to break your arms?

Bud, don't laugh, Bud.

I think I might be in love.

When you emerged from the fog and saw the Galibalu, what were your strike

options?

Withdraw to missile firing range, sir, or approach and use the 76mm gun.

And which option did Commander Merrick choose?

To move in and use the gun, sir.

At that point, did you have a conversation with him?

We had many decisions to make, sir. I'm sure we had several conversations.

Did any of those conversations relate to Commander Merrick's order to approach?

It's possible, sir.

Your Honor, permission to treat as a hostile witness?

Granted. Isn't it true that you disagreed with Commander Merrick's

I don't recall, sir.

Do you want me to bring in three crew members who heard that conversation,

Commander?

You have a promising career, son, but you need in the next 30 seconds.

I suggested we would throw at a missile firing range, sir.

Why?

To keep out of range of their close -in guns, sir.

Any other reason, Commander?

Yes.

To minimize the risk of a collision.

Thank you.

You had another disagreement with the captain after the collision, didn't you,

Commander? Yes, sir.

The captain wanted to send out boats to aid the Turkish ship.

I thought we should wait until we assessed the damage to our own ship.

Even though there was the possibility of men in the water?

I know it sounds callous, sir, but if we began to list while lowering boats,

some of them would have hit the hull and capsized, putting more men in the

water, or worse.

So what would you have done?

Waited until the situation stabilized, then sent the boats.

And what was the result of Commander Merrick's decision?

We saved six Turkish sailors, sir. Then it's a good thing you weren't the

captain. Objection. Argumentative. Your Honor, this goes to the witness's

credibility. Lieutenant Commander Bryan does not understand the risks inherent

in command, sir.

He's ending his career with those questions.

He's trying to save yours.

Objection overruled. I'll allow the line of questioning.

How long would you have waited to put the boats in the water, Commander? Your

Honor. Your Honor, defense requests a recess.

Now? Yes, sir.

Very well. Ten minutes.

What the hell is going on? I can't allow you to crucify him in order to save my

neck. Commander, his testimony is damaging. We have to do this.

No. No, we don't.

It's over.

You make me a deal.

Thank you. Keep me informed.

Well, that's one piece of good news.

They've located the last missing Turkish sailor. He's been in a military

hospital in Turkey since the day before the collision.

He wasn't even on the ship?

Apparently not.

How's the trial going?

Commander Merrick wants to make a deal.

Two pieces of good news.

I just need to know what we can offer.

I think dismissal, forfeiture of pay, and a few years' imprisonment will make

the point. A few years?

A couple years.

He has to do some time.

I'll leave the details to your discretion.

Yes, sir.

What's happening with the investigation of the Turkish and Greek captains?

They're back on their ships. Neither of them is going to be charged.

You told me they were going to be dealt with.

That was my understanding at the time.

Was it, sir?

Yes, it was.

If we're done here, I'm late for a meeting.

Mr. Secretary.

It hardly seems fair, Commander Merrick.

should take all the blame.

Commander Merrick drove his ship into another ship, the captain of which was

derelict in his duty, as was the captain of the third ship involved.

With all due respect, when you assigned me this case, I was under the impression

that I was serving the law, not joining some damn lynch mob.

A .J., now you think it was up to me.

I thought you looked after the interest of your people, sir.

You think that I alone make the decisions when the future of NATO is at

If the Greeks and the Turks are threatening to tear the alliance apart,

we've got to do what we've got to do to make sure they don't.

We? You got your marching orders, Admiral.

I got mine.

Currents seem a little hard.

Prosecuting attorney doesn't decide what turn to accept. Well, you know that.

How much break time, sir?

Oh, six months would do.

Well, Admiral, against our advice, Commander Merrick has indicated that he

accept something along that line.

All right, then.

We're all set.

I suppose so.

I'll let the tech man know.

On second thought, those terms are not acceptable.

You want more break time, sir?

That's not what I said.

Commander, you and the colonel are doing a pretty good job on this trial.

Well, thank you, sir. We thought so.

If I were Commander Merrick, I'd be happy for you to continue.

Sir, he's given us specific instructions to stop.

Perhaps we don't have to stop just yet.

Well... Whatever you expect.

Gunny, can I talk to you for a minute?

Yes, ma 'am. You need to take a deep breath, count to ten, whatever.

Ma 'am?

You're worried about your sister.

Your Marine trainee teaches you to take direct action.

In this case, bad career move.

Good news?

Take a look at your sister.

Take a look at Mikey Roberts.

Same leak?

What exactly are you worried about?

I understand, ma 'am.

I just wish I had a brother that cared this much about me.

Thank you, ma 'am.

Thank you very much.

What? Ma 'am, that was so considerate.

Tyner, Mikey Roberts can eat that girl for breakfast for all I care. As long as

the Hatfields and McCoys are still fighting, I get stuck with more work.

Hi. Hey.

Mikey, hi.

This is for you.

Oh, thank you.

So, you ready for lunch?

Sure. I just wanted to say hi to Victor. Have you seen him?

Gunny? No,

I haven't seen him. He's probably around somewhere, though. But check this out.

I've got not one, but two Fat Boy Swim tickets for tonight.

Cool. Can you get three?

Three? Yeah. This is my boyfriend, Ray.

So? He flew in from New Mexico to surprise me. Can you believe it?

Yeah, I can.

Victor! Valerie?

Robert? Sir?

Beasley?

How's it going, Vic?

What a surprise, huh?

He and I and Mikey are all going out. Ray rented a Miata.

What are we looking for?

Something to change his mind.

Who's mind? Merrick? The Admiral? Sekhnaz?

Somebody.

Anybody.

What do we know about the Turkish sailor

who turned up at the hospital?

Does it matter?

I don't know.

The day before the collision, Petty Officer Suleiman Mateen arrived at the

military hospital in Kanakale with second -degree burns, concussion, and a

broken ankle. Injuries received aboard the Ghalibalu.

What was his duty?

Uh, electronics technician.

Well, he didn't get second -degree burns tripping over a power cord.

Was there anything in the ship's medical log?

No, we don't have it. They didn't send it over.

Big night planned?

Yeah, bigger than I thought.

Oh,

I don't know what it is about that girl.

That Beasley guy?

Total loser.

Every guy she brings home is worse than the one before.

And the more I tell her what jerks they are, the more she likes them.

You must love me, then.

No, Roberts. I can't stand you.

I'll tell Val that every chance I get.

Did you make the deal?

Almost. There's just a few minor details to be worked out. Then why are you

here?

Sir, we've uncovered new information about the Turkish ship involved in the

collision. Oh?

The day before the exercise began, the radar aboard the Galibalu went out.

A petty officer went up to check the dome. The radar came on, suddenly

him, causing him to fall from the tower.

I trust the Turkish safety investigators are investigating.

With an intermittent and undiagnosed radar fault on one of the participants'

ships, sir, the NATO exercise should, under op orders, have been postponed.

But the commander of the exercise, Admiral Picado, apparently was eager to

conduct the games before the end of his fiscal year.

There is a possibility, sir, he colluded with the Turkish captain to keep the

mishap quiet.

Where are you getting all of this?

Made a few phone calls after they brought this to my attention.

Was this in your job description as prosecutor, Admiral?

Well, Mr. Secretary, as an officer of the court, it's my duty to bring forth

relevant information, sir. I see.

Did the radar problems have anything to do with the collision?

No, sir. Then I don't see how it is relevant to this case.

Oh, it's not, sir.

That's why we'll be handing this report off to the NATO Inspector General.

This could cause some difficulties for NATO.

But I imagine you realize that.

You mentioned some minor details remain to be worked out in Commander Merrick's

view. Yes, sir. The Admiral has informed us that confinement is required. We

were wondering if there was any leeway on that, sir. I suppose you have an

alternative to propose.

Yes, sir. Commander Merrick be allowed to retire with a punitive letter of

reprimand. Forkature, $3 ,000, and no confinement.

Fine.

I'll put this through the proper channels.

She's a good ship, Tim.

They give it to you, take care of her.

I will, sir.

You got her?

We stopped by your quarters.

I had some leftover fit wraps to sign.

Loose hands.

I'm sorry we couldn't do something to keep you here.

Al, I knew I was finished driving ships the minute that destroyer crossed our

path.

At least I'll be going home without that long layover in Kansas.

You might not be going home quite yet, Commander.

Admiral Picado is being charged with dereliction of duty in conjunction with

collision. Now he's taking the fall?

Really didn't matter who it was.

As long as it wasn't a Greek or a Turk.

Thanks, Commander.

You're being called as a witness against them.

I used to think I might have what it takes to be an admiral.

You weren't wrong, Commander.

No.

Thank God I was.

Captain Department!