Military Judge Disqualifies Naval Reactors Director Caldwell from Overseeing Fitzgerald CO Trial
A military judge has disqualified Director of Naval Reactors Adm. Frank Caldwell from overseeing the upcoming negligence trial of the…
Second USS Fitzgerald Officer Defers Plea to Negligence, Hazarding a Vessel Charges
An officer charged with negligence for her role in the collision of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) reserved her right not to…
Navy Drops Homicide Charges Against USS Fitzgerald Commander, Junior Officers
This post has been updated to include statements from Cmdr. Bryce Benson and Lt. Natalie Combs. The former commander of…
Summary of Major Events Since Fatal USS Fitzgerald Collision
Last year’s fatal collisions of guided-missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) and USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) began a chain of investigations, accountability actions and…
Navy Official Recommends No Criminal Trial for USS Fitzgerald Junior Officers
Two officers who faced negligent homicide charges for their role in the fatal June 2017 USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) collision have…
Former CO of USS John S. McCain Pleads Guilty to Negligence in Collision Case
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – The commander of the guided-missile destroyer that collided with a merchant ship off Singapore in August…
UPDATED: Senior Enlisted USS McCain Sailor Pleads Guilty to Dereliction Charge in Collision
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD — A senior enlisted member of the guided-missile destroyer USS McCain (DDG-56) crew pleaded guilty to a single…
Former USS Fitzgerald CO Benson Vows to Take Collision Case to Trial
This post has been updated with a statement from the Navy. The former commander of the U.S. warship involved in…
Trial Date Set for McCain CO, Senior Enlisted Sailor; Fitzgerald CO Waives Preliminary Hearing
A previous version of this story indicated that Chief Boatswain’s Mate Jeffery D. Butler had faced more serious charges earlier…
USS Fitzgerald Combat Team Unaware of Approaching Merchant Ship Until Seconds Before Fatal Collision
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – The sailors who were manning the combat nerve center of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) did not know…