US Navy commander sacked after fatal USS John S McCain collision

The commander of a US Navy fleet has been
dismissed in the wake of a fatal collision between a
warship and an oil tanker off Singapore.
Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, who headed America's
Asia-based 7th Fleet, has been relieved of his duties
following the damage to the USS John S McCain.
Remains of some of the 10 sailors missing since the
incident have been found in a flooded compartment
in the ship.
Malaysian authorities assisting in the search also
found a body, but it has not yet been confirmed
whether it is a crew member of the guided-missile
destroyer.
Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific
Fleet, announced on Wednesday that Vice Admiral
Aucoin had been removed from his post "due to a
loss of confidence in his ability to command".
Monday's pre-dawn collision involving the USS
McCain, which is now docked in Singapore as a
recovery operation takes place, has been determined
not to have been intentional or the result of sabotage
or cyber-intrusion.
It is the fourth major incident in the US Pacific Fleet
this year.
In June, seven sailors died when the USS Fitzgerald
collided with a container ship off Japan.
Last week, the captain of the destroyer was
dismissed and other sailors punished for poor
seamanship and errors in keeping watch, which were
found to have contributed to its fatal collision.
In lesser incidents, the USS Lake Champlain had a
minor collision with a South Korean fishing boat in
May, while in April the USS Antietam ran aground
near the 7th Fleet's home port in Yokosuka, Japan.
On Tuesday, Admiral Swift said: "While each of these
four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in
isolation."
Vice Admiral Aucoin took control of the 7th Fleet -
which is made up of 50 to 70 ships and submarines,
140 aircraft and around 20,000 sailors - in September
2015 and was due to retire in a few weeks.
At least three of the 10 missing sailors from the USS
McCain have been identified by their relatives.
We pray for our fallen heroes who died while
serving our country in the @USNavy aboard the
#USSJohnSMcCain , and their families.
8:15 PM - Aug 22, 2017
5,879 15,067 64,883
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
On Tuesday night, US President Donald Trump posted
on Twitter: "We pray for our fallen heroes who died
while serving our country in the US Navy aboard the
USS John S McCain, and their families."
The tragedy occurred during a period of heightened
tensions between China and the US in the Pacific
region.
China's state-run media has claimed the latest
incident reveals the risk the US Navy represents to
shipping in Asia, amid ongoing territorial disputes.
Beijing has regularly complained about US ships
passing close to islands it claims as its own in the
South China Sea.
Earlier this month, the USS McCain sailed within 12
nautical miles of an artificial archipelago built by
China.
It was one of the latest moves to counter what
Washington views as China's efforts to seize control
of contested waters.

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