PLAYING CHICKEN, US NAVY STYLE
"No matter what happens, the U.S. Navy is not going to be caught
napping." - U.S. Secretary of Navy, December 4, 1941
Setup: The chief of United States naval operations has released the
following transcript of a radio conversation between a US
Navy ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland
in October 1995.
US ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a
collision.
Canadian reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the
south to avoid a collision.
US ship: This is the captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert
your course.
Canadians: No. I say again, you divert your course!
US ship: This is the aircraft carrier USS Missouri; we are a large
warship of the US Navy. Divert your course now!!
Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
