Deadly Navy collisions were 'avoidable,' the result of 'poor judgment'
Two separate, deadly collisions between Navy destroyers and commercial ships this summer were based on what the chief of naval operations called "avoidable" errors by the crew, a concerning Naval investigation made public Wednesday to The New York Times has found.
In the June incident, the U.S. destroyer Fitzgerald collided with a container ship near Japan, killing seven. "Many of the decisions made that led to this incident were the result of poor judgment and decision-making of the commanding officer," the report found, adding that the "crew was unprepared for the situation in which they found themselves through a lack of preparation, ineffective command and control, and deficiencies in training and preparations for navigation."
In August, the John S. McCain destroyer collided with an oil tanker near Singapore, killing 10, the result of what the Naval report called "a loss of situational awareness."
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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