Guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) is towed away from the pier at Changi Naval Base, Oct. 5, to meet heavy lift transport vessel MV Treasure on Oct. 5, 2017. US Navy Photo
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD — A senior enlisted member of the guided-missile destroyer USS McCain (DDG-56) crew pleaded guilty to a single charge of dereliction of duty for his part leading up to a fatal August 2017 collision in a summary court-martial. Read More
Students at Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS) train on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Full Mission Bridge (FMB) simulator in 2016. US Navy Photo
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) is pushing a trio of legislative reform efforts to professionalize surface warfare officer training and simplify command and control for forward forces in an effort to prevent avoidable mishaps like the two fatal collisions the U.S. Navy suffered in 2017. Read More
Cmdr. Bryce Benson, then-executive officer, assists in bringing down the battle ensign aboard USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) in 2016. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated with a statement from the Navy.
The former commander of the U.S. warship involved in a fatal collision off the coast of Japan last year is vowing to take his case to court-martial and is accusing Navy leadership of trying him in the press before his trial. Read More
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) is lowered from the heavy lift transport MV Treasure on December 13, 2017. US Navy Photo
A previous version of this story indicated that Chief Boatswain’s Mate Jeffery D. Butler had faced more serious charges earlier this year. In fact, Butler was neither charged with hazarding a vessel nor negligent homicide in January.
The former commander of USS John. S. McCain (DDG-56) and a senior enlisted crewmember will face separate courts-martial next week for their roles in a fatal collision that killed ten sailors in August. Read More
USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) returns to Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka following a collision with a merchant vessel while operating southwest of Yokosuka, Japan on June 17, 2017. US Navy Photo
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – The sailors who were manning the combat nerve center of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) did not know they were on a collision course with a ship almost three times their size until about one minute before impact, according to new information revealed in the preliminary hearing for two junior officers accused of negligent homicide for their role in the collision that resulted in the death of seven sailors. Read More
USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) sits in Dry Dock 4 at Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka on July 11, 2017. US Navy Photo
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – Lt. j.g. Sarah B. Coppock was contrite and quiet when she pleaded guilty on a single criminal charge for her role in the collision between the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) and a merchant ship that killed seven sailors. Read More
USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) is loading onto the heavy lift transport vessel MV Transshelf. US Navy Photo
A junior officer accused of negligence in the fatal collision of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) last summer will face a special court-martial next week on charges of dereliction of duty in a trial at Washington Navy Yard, the Navy announced this week. Based on the circumstances of the case, the trial is part of a likely plea deal that would involve the officer becoming a prosecution witness in courts-martial stemming from the same collision, two military defense lawyer told USNI News. Read More
Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin speaks to members of the press about the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) which was involved in a collision with a merchant vessel on June 18, 2017.
This post was updated to correct circumstances of a Jan. 31, 2017 incident involving the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG-54). The ship suffered a grounding, not a collision.
U.S. warships in the Western Pacific were overtasked and starved for manpower ahead of two fatal collisions that killed 17 sailors, the former commander of Japan-based U.S. 7th Fleet wrote in his first public comments since being removed from his position last year. Read More
A wave crashes over the forecastle of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG-64) while underway in the Mediterranean Sea on Jan. 22, 2018. US Navy Photo
Two top Senate Armed Services Committee Republicans have introduced legislation that covers a wide swath of Navy-suggested reforms for the surface forces. Read More
Former USS Fitzgerald commander Cmdr. Bryce Benson (left), Former USS John S. McCain commander Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez (right). USNI News Image
The preliminary hearings for sailors facing criminal charges for their roles in the fatal collisions of two guided-missile destroyers in the Western Pacific have been continued, according to the Navy. Read More
