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| US Navy to dismiss commander after collisions |
| 2017-08-23 |
| [Iran Press TV] The US Navy is dismissing the commander of the fleet that has suffered four recent collisions in Asia, including two involving fatalities, according to reports. Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the US Seventh Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan, will be relieved of command on Wednesday in connection with recent deadly collisions, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials. "An expedited change in leadership was needed," a US official told Rooters late on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... This comes following an accident on Monday in which the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant ship off Singapore, leaving 10 sailors missing. The USS John S. McCain collided with the oil tanker Alnic MC on Monday morning local time while the guided-missile destroyer was passing near the Malacca Strait to make a port visit in Singapore, the Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement. The sailors are feared dead as US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Scott Swift has announced that divers searching for the missing service members have found human remains in the warship. "The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today," Swift told news hounds on Tuesday at Singapore's Changi Naval Base, where the damaged warship is docked. Swift also said that Malaysian authorities, one of three countries involved in the major hunt for the missing sailors who are feared dead, had also found a body. He added that the US Navy was trying to identify the body to see if it was one of 10 missing US sailors in the accident. In June, another guided-missile destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, collided with the Philippine-flagged merchant ship ACX Crystal 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan. Seven US sailors were killed in that collision. Since it's been years since something similar happened, it's good to look for a reason. My shortlist would include hacking, sabotage, and too much time spent on LGBTXXX and not enough on training standards. I've never been in the Navy, so some of the guys who have can probably guess better than I can. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #12 back in mid 70,s there was a rash of CVs getting hit by Liberian tankers in the same straits. right during the thick if the first OPEC gas/oil crisis. as to automation, i think this is just a small taste of things to come with the introduction of smart ships like the Zumwalt. gotta have hands to mend things and eyes to see things |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2017-08-23 21:43 |
| #11 Somebody forget to turn the automatic identification system (AIS) on? |
| Posted by: One Eyed Angulet1489 2017-08-23 18:52 |
| #10 Is the commander an Obama political appointee? |
| Posted by: gorb 2017-08-23 15:36 |
| #9 They should issue Lucky Hats© to all Navy personnel |
| Posted by: Frank G 2017-08-23 13:36 |
| #8 There's always Greyhound buses. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2017-08-23 11:59 |
| #7 I never er been in the Navy, so some of the guys who have can probably guess better than I c Then what were you doing flying around on a ASW craft? Huuuuuuuummmmmm? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2017-08-23 11:41 |
| #6 Re #5: Besoeker, you're kidding right? |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2017-08-23 09:00 |
| #5 A shot from a '5 inch' to the oncoming ship's bridge might encourage a course correction. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2017-08-23 08:14 |
| #4 May I also add 'efficiency experts'? Sensors and a Star Trek command suite are no substitute for eyes on the horizon, 24/7, particularly in shipping channels. If you are not manned with enough personnel to do all the duties and watches, and get proper rest, performance drops. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2017-08-23 08:11 |
| #3 I've always been told that there is no bad luck in the Navy only bad seamanship. Start at the top and play whack a mole to the problem is fixed. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2017-08-23 07:39 |
| #2 The first question I'd ask "are the personnel allowed their smarphones on watch?". |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-08-23 07:10 |
| #1 I know the Straits of Malacca are supposed to be the most crowed shipping lanes in the world but I have to wonder if there is a command culture problem at work here. Or an over reliance on electronic sensing . If lookouts are posted and are not allowed to singout at need then we have a problem. |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2017-08-23 06:02 |