Deadly Navy collisions were 'avoidable,' the result of 'poor judgment'

Fitzgerald accident.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

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.