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Reuters

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, the US Navy said after it relieved the warship’s commander and his deputy from their duties.
“The commanding officer exercised poor judgment, and the executive officer exercised poor leadership of the ship’s training programme,” the US Seventh Fleet said in a statement released in Japan on Wednesday.
A spate of US naval collisions this year has resulted in a major leadership shake up in the US Navy in Asia as it tackles increased tensions with North Korea and engages in operations in the South China Sea that challenge Beijing’s growing control of the waterway.


The US Navy in August ordered a fleet wide probe and removed Seventh Fleet chief Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, citing a lack of confidence in his ability to command.
Last month Admiral Scott Swift, responsible for US naval forces in the Pacific, said he planned to retire after being passed over for promotion to the chief of all military forces in the region.
The McCain’s sister ship, the Fitzgerald, almost sank off the coast of Japan in June after colliding with a Philippine container ship. That incident claimed the lives of seven US sailors.
In May, a South Korean fishing vessel collided with the guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain, while another guided-missile cruiser, Antietam, damaged its propellers in January while anchoring in Tokyo Bay.
The McCain’s captain, Commander Alfredo Sanchez, and his executive officer, Commander Jessie Sanchez, were reassigned to other duties in Japan, where the Seventh Fleet is headquartered, the US Navy said.
The Seventh Fleet operates as many as 70 ships, including the US navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, and has about 140 aircraft and 20,000 sailors.


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United States

US Navy fires warship commanders after deadly McCain collision off Singapore

The guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain loaded onto heavy lift transport MV Treasure at sea. The USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker on August 21, 2017 as the destroyer headed to Singapore, tearing a huge hole in the hull. Photo: AFP

Commander Alfredo J. Sanchez, commanding officer of U.S.S. McCain, is seen in this undated handout picture obtained October 11, 2017. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Commander Jessie L. Sanchez. executive officer of U.S.S. McCain, is seen in this undated handout picture obtained October 11, 2017. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

US destroyer in Singapore collision was named after Senator McCain’s father, grandfather

The US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain. Photo: Reuters

FILE - In this Aug 10, 2017, file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., watches a baseball game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning in Phoenix. McCain's packed agenda while on break from Congress in his home state of Arizona has hardly been the schedule of a typical brain cancer patient, or even someone about to turn 81. McCain has been undergoing targeted radiation and chemotherapy treatments at the local Mayo Clinic on weekday mornings before going about his day with vigor. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

ADDS GENERATION SUFFIX TO NAME - FILE - In this Feb. 11, 1969, file photo, then Adm. John McCain Jr., commander in chief of the United States Pacific Forces, confers with then U.S. President Richard Nixon at the White House in Washington. A number of U.S. sailors are missing after a collision between the USS John S. McCain and a tanker early Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, east of Singapore, the second accident involving a ship from the Navy's 7th Fleet in the Pacific in two months. The 154-meter (505-foot) McCain is named after U.S. Sen. John McCain's father and grandfather, who were both U.S. admirals. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - In this July 14, 1961, file photo, then Lt. John S. McCain III, left, and his parents, Rear Adm. John S. McCain Jr. and Roberta Wright McCain take part in the ceremony to commission McCain Field, the U.S. Navy training base in Meridian, Miss., named in honor of Adm. John S. McCain, in photo at top, respectively grandfather and father to the two McCains. Ten U.S. sailors are missing after a collision between the USS John S. McCain and a tanker early Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, east of Singapore, the second accident involving a ship from the Navy's 7th Fleet in the Pacific in two months. The 154-meter (505-foot) McCain is named after U.S. Sen. John McCain's father and grandfather, who were both U.S. admirals. (AP Photo/File)

Commander of 7th Fleet relieved of duty as US Navy weighs impact of two crippled destroyers in Asia

Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, Commander of the US 7th Fleet. File photo: EPA

This combination of file photos show U.S. Navy ships the USS Antietam, top left; the USS Lake Champlain, top right; the USS Fitzgerald, bottom left; and the USS John S. McCain. The commander of U.S. naval operations has ordered a comprehensive review to get to root causes after the collision this week between a Navy destroyer and an oil tanker near Singapore. The crash on Aug. 21, 2017, is the latest "in a series of incidents in the Pacific theater," Adm. John Richardson said in a video statement. Navy ships have been in at least four accidents in the Pacific this year. (U.S. Navy via AP, AP Photos/File)

The damaged port aft hull of the USS John S. McCain, is visible while docked at Singapore's Changi naval base on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 in Singapore. The focus of the search for the U.S. sailors missing after a collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker in Southeast Asian waters shifted Tuesday to the damaged destroyer's flooded compartments. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

epa06150212 A handout file photo made available by the US Navy on 18 August 2017 shows the damaged interior section of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) as she sits in Dry Dock 4 at Fleet Activities Yokosuka to continue repairs and assess damage sustained from its 17 June 2017 collision with a merchant vessel, in Yokosuka, Japan, 13 July 2017. This view shows damage above the waterline to the outside skin of the ship. The US Navy announced on 17 August 2017, that a dozen of the ship's crew is facing administrative action for their role in the collision. The Navy released a supplement to its line of duty investigation on what caused the accident, specifically reviewing the crew's damage control activities and the nature and extent of injuries to the crew. EPA/US NAVY / MC2 CHRISTIAN SENYK / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Singapore Strait: US destroyer was struck in some of the world's busiest waters

Map shows ship traffic Tuesday through the Singapore Strait, a 16-kilometre-wide maritime gantlet brimming with ships moving between the Indian Ocean and South China Sea. Photo: marinetraffic.com

In this image provided by the Ministry of Defence Singapore, Republic of Singapore Air Force personnel conduct a search and rescue operation for missing U.S. sailors over waters east of Singapore, on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. The U.S. Navy ordered a broad investigation Monday into the performance and readiness of the Pacific-based 7th Fleet after an early morning collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker in Southeast Asian waters which left a number of U.S. sailors missing and others injured. (Ministry of Defence Singapore via AP)

Director General Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Zulkifili Abu Bakar addresses members of the media at the Malaysian Maritime Headquarters in Putrajaya on August 21, 2017, after the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker east of Singapore. Ten US sailors were missing and five injured early on August 21 after their destroyer collided with a tanker east of Singapore, the second accident involving an American warship in two months. / AFP PHOTO / MANAN VATSYAYANA

In this photo released by the Royal Malaysian Navy, navy personal look out for missing sailors of the U.S guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain, off Johor coaster area, Malaysia, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. The U.S. Navy ordered a broad investigation into the performance and readiness of the Pacific-based 7th Fleet after the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker collided in Southeast Asia, leaving 10 U.S. sailors missing and five injured. (Royal Malaysian Navy via AP)

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters in this still frame taken from video August 21, 2017. REUTERS/Reuters TV

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USS John S. McCain’s top two officers relieved of their duties and reassigned


US Navy fires warship commanders after deadly McCain collision off Singapore

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}USS John S. McCain’s top two officers relieved of their duties and reassigned

USS John S. McCain’s top two officers relieved of their duties and reassigned