Navy files homicide charges against commanders of 2 ships involved in deadly crashes

The USS John S. McCain.
(Image credit: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images)

The U.S. Navy announced Tuesday it is filing negligent homicide charges against several officers involved in two deadly ship collisions last year.

In June, the USS Fitzgerald hit a commercial ship in the waters off Japan, leaving seven sailors dead, and in August, the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in the waters off of Singapore, killing 10 sailors. Both collisions were deemed avoidable. Navy spokesman Capt. Greg Hicks said a hearing will determine if the officers, charged with dereliction of duty and endangering a ship as well as negligent homicide, will be taken to trial in a court-martial.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.