The accident on the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa became one of the disputable issues and triggered multiple debates. On April 19, 1989, the Number Two 16-inch gun turret exploded and preconditioned the death of 47 crewmen (Thompson II 12). The investigations of the given event were focused on determining the cause of the explosion; however, they provided different conclusions. The first one stated that Kendal Truitt used a chemical or electronic detonator (Thompson II 55). However, the results of the analysis performed by Sandia concluded that the disregard of the existing rules and overarm of powder bags preconditioned the disaster (Thompson II 78). Moreover, the state of the battleship was unsatisfactory after the repair. This case can be analyzed by applying engineering ethics as one of the tools to prevent such accidents.
In general, ethics is a broad concept with multiple meanings. Thus, considering the context, it presupposes the ability to think critically and independently to use moral thinking in diverse situations that emerge in practice. For this reason, observation of the central ideas of ethics is vital for avoiding accidents and improved decision-making that will help to behave ethically. The problems of public safety, bribery, environmental protection, and other contexts are covered by the term. In such a way, applying the basic concepts of engineering ethics, it is possible to investigate complex or disputable situations, such as the explosion at the battleship Iowa.
The professionalism of engineers and their ability to make correct decisions depend on observing certain codes of ethics. They should be used as the guideline for analyzing various situations and thinking about the consequences of actions performed by a specialist. Engineering codes of ethics assume that engineers should be accurate and objective in their statements, do not make false claims, or hide some problems or flaws in a project that might be dangerous for individuals. Disregarding the engineering code of ethics might cause serious social harm. For instance, on battleship Iowa, the disregard of the real condition of the ship, problems with a gun turret, and the use of inappropriate amounts of powder can be viewed as a violation of the code of ethics. It resulted in numerous deaths and serious economic damage.
Engineering societies in the USA have their own codes of ethics to help specialists who work in the sphere. These codes emphasize the need to promote safety, public health and preserve the state of the environment. At the same time, the work of an engineer presupposes the emergence of multiple ethical dilemmas, which can be analyzed by applying moral theories. The major frameworks are utilitarianism, duty ethics, right ethics, and virtue ethics. Utilitarianism states that actions improving the well-being of individuals are ethically correct, while duty and rights ethics assume that the rights of individuals should be respected, and specialists should be honest and objective. Finally, the virtue model is focused on the quality and nature of actions to define whether they are good or bad.
Altogether, engineering ethics is a vital paradigm to protect society and ensure that specialists make decisions that cannot harm other people or precondition a severe deterioration of the situation. The disregard of its major ides can result in disasters, such as on USS Iowa, as the insufficient consideration of existing flaws, risks, and disregard of major rules created the basis for the explosion and death of 47 individuals (Thompson II 12). For this reason, it is vital to follow the code of ethics and make decisions regarding moral theories.
Work Cited
Thompson II, Charles. A Glimpse of Hell: The Explosion on the U. S. S. Iowa & Its Cover-Up. W. W. Norton & Co Inc., 1999.