In an investigation regarding the August 21 collision between US warship and an oil tanker near Singapore, two senior US Navy officers were dismissed from their position after the evidence showed that collision was "preventable". The incident left 10 sailors dead and another five injured. The collision of the USS John S McCain guided missile destroyer with a merchant ship near Singapore in August that killed 10 sailors was "preventable".
USS seventh fleet said in a statement released on Wednesday, October 11 that the commanding officer had exercised poor judgement, along with the executive officer whose leadership skills were compromised during the ship's training programme.
The search and rescue operation was a collaborated effort by Singapore together with the United States, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia. The rescue operation was elaborate and involved 300 Singapore personnel. Those involved were the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Coast Guard and Singapore Civil Defence Force who covered 5,524 sq km.
The series of US naval collisions through the year have forced for a leadership reorganization in the US Navy in Asia. It deals with the increasing tensions from North Korea as well as tackling the situation in the South China Sea with Beijing's growing control of the waterway. Vice-Admiral Joseph Aucoin who was a Seventh Fleet chief was removed after his ability to command was put into question, this was after the US Navy in August ordered a fleet-wide probe.
The US Navy has seen a hard time as this incident was their fourth accident this year,
In June, the USS Fitzgerald had collided with the Philippine-flagged merchant vessel ACX Crystaloff the coast of Japan, which resulted in the death of seven sailors.The remains of seven Sailors previously reported missing was located in flooded berthing compartments after divers gained access to the spaces.
The damage included a significant impact under the ship's pilothouse on the starboard side and a large puncture below the ship's waterline, opening the hull to the sea.The ship suffered severe damage rapidly flooding three large compartments that included one machinery room and two berthing areas for 116 crew. The bow of the cargo ship directly struck the commander's cabin, according to the Navy's report detailing the immediate aftermath of the collision.Of the 35 sailors in the sleeping area at the time of the collision, 28 were able to escape, but the remaining seven sailors died.
A South Korean 60-7- foot long fishing vessel collided with a 568-foot USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) while the guided-missile cruiser was conducting routine operations in international waters in May. No one was injured when the fishing vessel collided with Lake Champlain's port side.The fishing vessel claimed that they did not have a radio and were thus unable to receive radio calls from the Navy ship.
On the 31 of January, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) damaged its propellers while anchoring in Tokyo Bay in the vicinity of Yokosuka, Japan.The US had to deploy a vessel to monitor the area for any visible signs of oil on the shoreline to initiate immediate clean-up procedures if any was detected.The ship was able to safely return to Yokosuka Naval Base with the help of tugboats, no one was injured said the official US Navy website.
