The commander of a US Navy ship that collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship in the Sea of Japan, killing seven American seamen, will be punished along with several other sailors, a senior admiral said Thursday.
Admiral Bill Moran, the vice chief of naval operations, said among those to be disciplined from the crew of the USS Fitzgerald are its commanding officer, executive officer and senior enlisted sailor, who will all be relieved of their duties aboard the ship.
“They will be detached from the ship for cause, which (means) we’ve lost trust and confidence for their ability to lead in those positions and they will not return to the ship,” Moran told reporters.
Seven sailors drowned in their sleeping berth when the USS Fitzgerald collided with the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal in a busy shipping channel off Japan’s coast early on June 17.
Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, who heads the
