USS Fitzgerald Faces Disciplinary Action After 7 Sailors Drowned

The captain of a US warship that lost seven sailors in a collision with a cargo ship will be relieved of command.

More than a dozen others who had been on board the US Navy vessel also face punishment.

Admiral William Moran, the vice chief of naval operations, told reporters the senior leaders on the USS Fitzgerald will be removed from duty aboard the ship.

The officers who will lose their role aboard the ship are the commanding officer, Commander Bryce Benson, the executive officer, Commander Sean Babbitt and Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin.

Although the investigation into the incident is not yet complete, Admiral Moran said the actions will be taken shortly.

He said:

"Serious mistakes were made by members of the crew."

He added that he could not fully detail those mistakes because the investigation is continuing.

He said the sailors responsible for keeping watch on the ship's bridge had "lost situational awareness," which left them unable to respond quickly enough to avoid the disaster once the oncoming container ship was spotted.

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

 The seas were relatively calm, and visibility was unrestricted.

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 Navy review of what happened aboard the ship following the collision found that the seven deaths could not be blamed on misconduct.

It commended the response by the ship's crew, singling out two sailors for taking extra steps to help others out of the flooded berthing space.

It said that their actions probably saved the lives of at least two of their shipmates.

"No damage control efforts, however, would have prevented Berthing 2 from flooding completely within the first two minutes following the collision, or the deadly circumstances in that situation".

The report said although some in Berthing 2 heard a loud noise at the time of the collision or were thrown from their beds by the force of the impact, some did not realise what had happened and remained in bed.

Some even remained asleep; the report stated:

"At least one sailor had to be pulled from his rack and into the water before he woke up."