‘Series of missteps’ led to sudden turn that caused deadly crash between US warship and tanker, Singapore says
But investigators insisted the findings were not meant to point blame for the accident last August, which killed 10 sailors
But investigators insisted the findings were not meant to point blame for the accident last August, which killed 10 sailors
A US guided missile destroyer’s deadly collision with an oil tanker near Singapore in 2017 was caused by “a sudden turn” made by the warship that put it in the path of the commercial vessel, said a report by the Singapore government on Thursday.
The collision on August 21, which killed 10 sailors and was one of a handful of incidents in the Asia-Pacific region involving US Navy warships, raised questions about Navy training and led to the removal of a number of officers.
“The collision between the USS John S McCain (JSM) and Alnic MC (AM) as they were transiting through the Singapore Strait happened because of a sudden turn to Port by JSM, which caused it to head into the path of AM,” the report said.
The sudden turn was because of “a series of missteps” that took place at the control of the JSM that unintentionally increased the rate of the vessel’s turn, the report by the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau said.