USS Fitzgerald har krockat - sju amerikanska soldater saknas

Olyckan var den tredje för amerikanska krigsfartyg i Stilla havet på fyra månader. En utredning pågår för att ta reda på vad som legat bakom olyckorna.

(CNN)The two US Navy destroyers involved in deadly collisions in the Pacific this summer both had lengthy records of failure to fulfill key training requirements, according to Government Accountability Office data provided to Congress and obtained by CNN.

The USS Fitzgerald had expired training certification for 10 out of 10 key warfare mission areas in June, and the USS John S. McCain had let its certifications lapse in six out of the 10 mission areas, the data show.
The dismal training record for the two ships sheds new light on one factor that may have contributed to the two collisions with commercial ships in June and August, which killed 17 sailors.


http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/11/politi...ining-expired/

Two deadly U.S. Navy warship collisions were ‘avoidable,’ report concludes

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In its assessment of the Fitzgerald accident, the report said that the destroyer’s crew and leadership failed to plan for safety, adhere to sound navigation practices, execute basic watch standing practices and properly use available navigation tools. It also cited both the crew and leadership for failing to respond “deliberately and effectively” when faced with a crisis.

“Many of the decisions made that led to this incident were the result of poor judgment and decision making of the Commanding Officer,” the report said. “That said, no single person bears full responsibility for this incident. The crew was unprepared for the situation in which they found themselves through a lack of preparation, ineffective command and control, and deficiencies in training and preparations for navigation.”

The crew’s grueling schedule and resulting fatigue was also highlighted in the report as contributing to the accident.

A U.S. Navy destroyer was involved in a minor collision with a Japanese tugboat Saturday during a scheduled exercise, according to the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet.

The USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer, sustained minor damage when a tugboat lost propulsion and drifted into the ship, the Navy said. No one was injured on either vessel and an initial assessment of the damage showed that the destroyer only sustained minimal damage including scrapes.

Charges are expected to be dropped against two former USS Fitzgerald officers accused of negligence in the 2017 destroyer collision that killed seven sailors, a U.S. Navy statement said Wednesday.

Former USS Fitzgerald commanding officer Cmdr. Bryce Benson and former crew member Lt. Natalie Combs will receive letters of censure, but charges against them will be withdrawn and dismissed, the Navy statement said. Letters of censure acknowledge acts of wrongdoing but have no legal ramifications.

"This decision is in the best interest of the Navy, the families of the Fitzgerald Sailors, and the procedural rights of the accused officers," the Navy's statement said. "Both officers were previously dismissed from their jobs and received non-judicial punishment,"