CTLR TECHNIQUE.

Narrative

WE WERE THIRD OF 3 COMMUTER DEPS IN QUICK SUCCESSION OFF SAME RWY. INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO TURN TO 200 DEGS AT THE SHORELINE; CONTACT DEP (PREVIOUS DEPS WERE ALSO ON 200 DEG HDG). WE WERE MAINTAINING VISUAL CONTACT WITH PRECEDING TFC. HE WAS AT 1-2 O'CLOCK AND SLIGHTLY HIGHER; THOUGH WE WERE FASTER AND WERE TRADING SOME AIRSPD FOR A GREATER CLB RATE. FO WAS FLYING AND KEPT TFC IN SIGHT BY OFFSETTING TO L (TFC IN OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS; 7 O'CLOCK TO THEM). ATC IDENTED BOTH ACFT AND GAVE THEM A TURN TO 130 DEGS. WE QUICKLY QUESTIONED ATC ABOUT THE SAME TURN FOR US. I THEN ASKED THEIR ALT. IT WAS LESS THAN 500 FT ABOVE US AND THEY WERE TURNING DIRECTLY INTO US. WE STOPPED OUR CLB AND ADVISED ATC SUCH. ATC WENT OFF ON SOME HARANGUE THAT INCLUDED POPULAR PHRASES LIKE VISUAL SEPARATION; HDOFS; AND OTHERS THAT I PAID ZERO ATTN TO BECAUSE WE WERE TOO BUSY AVERTING A PERFECTLY CHOREOGRAPHED MIDAIR COLLISION. I CAN ONLY PRESUME THAT ATC CONFUSED THE RADARS ON RADAR OR POSSIBLY COULD NOT DISTINGUISH BTWN THE 2 BECAUSE OF THEIR CLOSE PROX. ALTERNATIVELY; THE ASSUMPTION WAS THAT; BECAUSE THE 2 ACFT DEPARTED IN SEQUENCE FROM THE SAME RWY; THEY WOULD BE DIRECTLY IN TRAIL OF EACH OTHER. NOT SO.