This is your captain speaking

I don’t know much about the U.S. Navy, but I have heard this: If a captain lets his ship run aground — for whatever reason — he is relieved of his command.

I think it’s true, because it just happened to Capt. John Carroll, the commanding officer of the USS Port Royal, a $1 billion warship that ran aground along the coast of Honolulu last week. (Make that former commanding officer.)

Someone who knew a little bit about the Navy once explained it to me like this:

The Navy’s reasoning is that as a highly skilled captain, you should not let this happen. You should make sure that the officers under your command don’t let it happen. You should do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn’t happen.

And if it does happen, your career is over. No excuses, no second chances, no appeals.

And if you know that this is what will happen to you, you make sure it doesn’t happen. If you let it happen anyway, well, you get a head start on retirement.

That’s tough.

It’s also probably the only way the military can function.

It’s also a pity that concept of responsibility and accountability isn’t more common on the civilian side.