December 10, 2009

Norfolk, Virginia (ENN) -- A recent rash of accidents on the high seas - some fatal - has been plaguing the U.S. Navy in recent months and the Secretary of the Navy has decided to initiate an investigation into the causes. 

These accidents include the loss of at least two navy aircraft as they attempted to land on a carrier deck, one of them causing extensive damage to the ship and resulting in the pilot's death.  A more recent incident involved a freak fire on the cruiser U.S.S. Shiloh which severely burned several sailors.  

It has been speculated that the cause of these accidents can be traced to the U.S. Navy far exceeding its normal patrol periods of 2-3 months, with some patrols lasting 4 months or more. 

"After 3 months at sea, strange things start to happen," said one highly reputed Admiral, who asked not to be named.  "Guys start singing to themselves, daydreaming while on duty, regressing to an infantile sense of humor, and generally start to... well, you know... lose it." 

Even submariners, who are usually screened for their ability to maintain clarity and focus while being at sea for long periods of time, are rarely deployed for longer than 3 months. 

The extended patrols are no doubt a result of increased global tensions in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East as well as the Pacific. Whether this increase in tensions justifies the increased risk of human error is a question that the board of inquiry will be taking a hard look at over the next several weeks.