Preliminary Findings Blame The US Navy For The USS Fitzgerald Collision

CNN: Initial investigation blames Navy for USS Fitzgerald collision

(CNN)Preliminary findings in the investigation into the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine cargo ship off the coast of Japan in June suggest the accident was caused by multiple errors by the Fitzgerald's crew and a failure to take action in the minutes leading to the collision, according to two defense officials.

"They did nothing until the last second," one official said. "A slew of things went wrong." A second official said the crash "will wind up being our (the US Navy's) fault."

The collision between the Fitzgerald, a guided-missile destroyer, and the ACX Crystal on June 17 claimed the lives of seven US sailors. It took place 56 nautical miles off the coast of Honshu, Japan, in an area heavily traveled by commercial shipping.

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More News On The Preliminary Findings That Blame The US Navy For The USS Fitzgerald Collision

Preliminary findings suggest Navy at fault in Fitzgerald collision, report says - Navy Times
Navy at fault for USS Fitzgerald crash, initial probe finds: report -- The Hill
U.S. Warship Crew Found Likely at Fault in June Collision: Official -- US News and World Report/Reuters
USS Fitzgerald 'at fault': Crew failed to react to approaching cargo ship in devastating crash that killed seven American sailors off the coast of Japan, investigation suggests -- Daily Mail
Probe: USS Fitzgerald crew likely to blame for crash -- UPI
USS Fitzgerald Crash Was Navy's Fault, Preliminary Findings Reportedly Suggest -- Task & Purpose

USS Fitzgerald Commander Temporarily Relieved. Destroyer Is Now In Dry Dock For Repairs

USNI News: USS Fitzgerald Commander Temporarily Relieved; Destroyer Enters Dry Dock

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The commander of the guided missile destroyer that was struck by a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel last month off Japan was temporarily relived of command for medical reasons, a U.S. 7th Fleet spokesperson told USNI News on Tuesday.

Cmdr. Bryce Benson was removed from his position by Capt. Jeffrey Bennett, commodore, Destroyer Squadron 15 on Tuesday to recuperate from injuries he sustained following the collision of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) and ACX Crystal, spokesperson Cmdr. Clay Doss told USNI News on Tuesday.

Doss stressed the several ongoing investigations into the collision and the deaths of seven sailors aboard did not factor in Benson’s relief from command of Fitzgerald.

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More News On The USS Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald CO temporarily relieved -- Navy Times
U.S. Navy temporarily relieves commander of ship struck in Japanese waters. -- Reuters
USS Fitzgerald drydocked, commanding officer temporarily relieved -- MarineLog
Injured Fitzgerald Commander Is Relieved -- Military.com/Stars and Stripes
Captain of USS Fitzgerald Relieved of Duty as Ship Damage Assessment Begins -- Sputnik
US Navy commander relieved of duty after 7 sailors killed -- RT

2 US Navy Vessels Collide In Strait of Hormuz -- News Updates

Image: Graphic map locating the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway between Iran and Oman. A US Navy submarine and a US amphibious vessel collided in the Strait of Hormuz slightly injuring 15 sailors and creating a fuel spill of around 25,000 gallons, the US Navy said. (AFP/Graphic)

From Yahoo News/AP:

MANAMA, Bahrain – Two U.S. Navy vessels — a submarine and an amphibious ship — collided during the early morning hours Friday in the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian peninsula, the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet reported.

The military said in a statement that the incident occurred around 1:00 a.m. local time on Friday (5 p.m. EDT, Thursday), when the USS Hartford, a submarine, and the USS New Orleans, an amphibious ship, collided.

According to the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, 15 sailors aboard the Hartford were slightly injured but able to return to duty. No injuries were reported aboard the New Orleans.

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The submarine USS Hartford and amphibious ship USS New Orleans are shown in Navy photos.
(Photo from CNN)

More News On The Collision Of Two Navy Vessels

Two US Navy vessels collide in Strait of Hormuz -- AFP
U.S. Navy vessels collide near Iran -- CNN
U.S. Submarine, Naval Ship Collide in Hormuz Strait -- Bloomberg
Navy Ships Collide in Strait of Hormuz -- Information Dissemination

WNU Editor: This story is developing. We will have a complete summary of news updates on this story at 9:00 PM EST.