US Navy Pacific Fleet Commander To Retire After Fatal Crashes

The commander of the US Navy's Pacific Fleet has announced his retirement just weeks after the second deadly collision that involved American warships.

Admiral Scott Swift said he would stand down after being told he was being passed over for promotion.

He was in the running to replace Admiral Harry Harris, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command.

An emailed statement read: "I have been informed by the Chief of Naval Operations that I will not be his nominee to replace Admiral Harry Harris as the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command.

"In keeping with tradition and in loyalty to the Navy, I have submitted my request to retire."

He did not give the desired retirement date, nor did he mention the recent naval collisions in the Pacific.

Admiral Swift will be the most senior US naval officer to step down since the collisions which killed seventeen American sailors.

The first crash, involving the USS Fitzgerald, occurred in the early morning of June 17 in an accident-prone area known for congestion within Japanese territorial waters.

The bow of the container ship, slammed into the Fitzgerald's right side above the waterline, quickly flooding several areas inside the ship, including a berthing, or sleeping, area.

Of the 35 sailors who were present in the berthing area, seven drowned.

The second crash, involving USS John S. McCain, happened on August 21 near Singapore.

Ten sailors died when the US Navy ship collided with the Alnic MC.

The McCain had been heading to Singapore for a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation.

Admiral Scott Swift said at the time, that the navy would conduct an investigation "to find out if there is a common cause ... and if so, how do we solve that".

"While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation."