Two ship collisions that occurred in June and August and killed 17 sailors "were preventable" accidents, according to a report released by the Navy Wednesday.
FILE- This June 17, 2017 file photo shows the damaged USS Fitzgerald near the U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo. The Navy says the commanding officer of a warship that lost seven sailors in a collision off the coast of Japan will be relieved of command, and nearly a dozen other sailors face punishment. Adm. William Moran, the No. 2 Navy officer, told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday, Aug. 17, that the actions are to be taken shortly, although the Navy’s investigation into how and why the USS Fitzgerald collided with the container ship in June has not yet been completed.
(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File
FILE – In this June 18, 2017, file photo, damaged USS Fitzgerald is docked at the U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, after colliding with Philippine-flagged container ship ACX Crystal off Japan. The Navy said the commanding officer of a warship that lost seven sailors in the collision will be relieved of command, and nearly a dozen other sailors face punishment. Adm. William Moran, the No. 2 Navy officer, told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, that the actions are to be taken shortly, although the Navy’s investigation into how and why the USS Fitzgerald collided with the container ship in June has not yet been completed.
(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File
In this July 11, 2017 photo provided by U.S. Navy Office of Information, the Valiant-class yard tugboat Menominee (YT 807) assists the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) as it moves to Dry Dock 4 at Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka, Japan, to continue repairs and assess damage sustained from its June 17 collision with a merchant vessel. Poor seamanship and flaws in keeping watch contributed to a collision between the Navy destroyer and a commercial container ship that killed seven sailors, Navy officials said, announcing that the warship captain will be relieved of command and more than a dozen other sailors will be punished. Adm. William Moran, the vice chief of naval operations, told reporters Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, that the top three leaders aboard the USS Fitzgerald, which was badly damaged in the collision off the coast of Japan, will be removed from duty aboard the ship. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter Burghart/U.S. Navy photo via AP)
FILE – In this Aug. 22, 2017 file photo, the damaged port aft hull of the USS John S. McCain is visible while docked at Singapore’s Changi naval base in Singapore. The U.S. Navy said in a statement Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, that the Navy has relieved of duties the commander and executive officer of the USS John S. McCain, which collided with an oil tanker near Singapore in August.
(AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File
FILE – In this Aug. 21, 2017, file photo, damage is visible as the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain steers towards Changi naval base in Singapore following a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC. Adm. William Moran, the vice chief of naval operations, told a congressional oversight panel Sept. 7, that the hectic pace of military operations and a constrained military budget don’t excuse two warship accidents in the Pacific region that killed 17 American sailors and led the sea-going service to order a broad investigation into its performance and readiness.(Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Fulton/U.S. Navy via AP, File)
The Republic of Singapore Navy’s RSS Brave, right, sails off from the Tuas naval base on a search and rescue mission for the USS John S. McCain’s missing sailors on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in Singapore. Aircraft and ships from the navies of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia are searching seas east of Singapore where the collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker happened early Monday.
(AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
In this photo released by the Royal Malaysian Navy, a Royal Malaysian Navy sailor scans the sea for missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain off the Johor coast of Malaysia, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. The commander of the Navy’s 7th Fleet will be removed after a series of warship accidents in the Pacific this year, two U.S. officials said Wednesday.
(Royal Malaysian Navy via AP)
WASHINGTON — Two ship collisions that occurred in June and August and killed 17 sailors “were preventable” accidents, according to a report released by the Navy Wednesday.
” … The respective investigations found multiple failures by watch standers that contributed to the incidents,” said Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson.
The report indicates that the USS Fitzgerald watch teams did not adhere to “sound navigational practices” and protocols, which caused the ship to collide with the ACX Crystal off the coast of Japan. The ship’s leadership was not there during the event. Seven sailors died in the accident.
The August collision of the USS John S. McCain and merchant vessel Alnic MC near Singapore occurred due to poor training and leadership. According to the report, the commanding officer ignored recommendations from the executive officer, navigator and senior watch officer.
“We must do better,” said Richardson. “Our culture, from the most junior sailor to the most senior Commander, must value achieving and maintaining high operational and warfighting standards of performance and these standards must be embedded in our equipment, individuals, teams and fleets. We will spend every effort needed to correct these problems and be stronger than before,” said Richardson.
