Letter: Another view of ‘geopositioning’

Better navigation aids ... maybe that’s the answer.

As a relatively new ensign in the Navy in 1969, I had the navigation assignment on the USS Renshaw (DD499). On a crossing of the Pacific to Westpac, we were one of four destroyers that reported positions to the “lead ship” three times a day. Without benefit of today’s modern technology, we reverted to shooting the stars when available. At one of these times, after reporting our posit, we received a message from the Commodore:

“Twinkle twinkle little star,

“Renshaw Nav doesn’t know where we are.”

Needless to say, this drew a “one-on-one” with our captain, who didn’t like to be called out on anything.

But that was 1969. Stars, Loran, and guesswork. Now we have $50 geopositioning gadgets that pinpoint one’s position to within 10 feet. So one wonders why the USS Carl Vinson couldn’t report her position a bit better to headquarters. North of the equator? South of the equator? When does heading south just “feel” like heading north?

Maybe Trump thinks that “geopositioning” means he can change his position or direction on any topic. If nothing else, I think I know where his presidency is headed.

This story was originally published April 21, 2017 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Letter: Another view of ‘geopositioning’."