The commanders of the two US warships, that were involved in fatal collisions with merchant ships in 2017, will face military criminal charges related to dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel and negligent homicide. The two incidents occurred within almost two months and resulted in death of 17 sailors in total.
‘USS Fitzgerald‘ collided with ‘ACX Crystal’ on 17 June 2017 in Japanese waters, causing death of seven crew. ‘USS John S. McCain‘ collided with the chemical tanker ‘Alnic MC’ on 21 August 2017 in the Straits of Singapore and resulted in the deaths of 10 sailors.
Cmdr. Bryce Benson, former commander of the ‘USS Fitzgerald’, along with three Fitzgerald junior officers, as well as Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, former commander of ‘USS John S. McCain’, face a mix charges that include dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel and negligent homicide, according to a statement from the US Navy provided to USNI news.
Additional administrative actions are being conducted for members of both crews including non-judicial punishment for four Fitzgerald and four John S. McCain crewmembers, the US navy added.
“The announcement of an Article 32 hearing and referral to a court-martial is not intended to and does not reflect a determination of guilt or innocence related to any offenses. All individuals alleged to have committed misconduct are entitled to a presumption of innocence,” the statement from the navy said.
An official report published by the US navy revealed that both accidents could have been avoided and were caused by human error and lack of procedural compliance, although no single person could be defined as fully responsible. The findings triggered a general concern within the Navy on navigational safety, certification and training issues, while it led to a three-month review on the existing systemic conditions influencing the Navy over the last 30 years.
As a result from the two successive tragedies, the navy has already dismissed several senior officers, including the commander of the Seventh Fleet.
