The USS Fitzgerald, seriously damaged in a collision with a container ship on June 17th that killed seven U.S. sailors, will be transported back to the United States for repairs. The destroyer will be carried via heavy lift ship between mid-September and the end of October, Cmdr. Clay Doss, a 7th Fleet spokesman, told Stars and Stripes.
The BBC reports that the US Navy has announced that about a dozen sailors are to be disciplined on the USS Fitzgerald due to the collision. The deputy chief of naval operations, Admiral Bill Moran, said the commanding officer and two other senior crew would no longer serve aboard the ship.
The US Navy also released a report focused on the aftermath of the collision. The report commended the ship’s sailor’s response to the flooding and their attempts to rescue fellow sailors. The report says in part, “The Sailors assigned to Berthing 2 should be commended for their response to the dangerous and deadly threat they faced.” It goes on to note: “Through their swift, and in many cases heroic actions, members of the FITZGERALD crew saved lives. No damage control efforts, however, would have prevented Berthing 2 from flooding in the first two minutes following the collision, or the deadly circumstances in that situation.”
Thanks to Alaric Bond and John Gregoire for contributing to this post.
Navy has done a excellent job keeping a lid on the damage images. Only pictures on the web are for the destroyer damaged out in the mid east where the bomb blasted a hole further back.
Does the NTSB enter the picture at all or does the Navy handle the investigation entirely by itself?
Where’s the independent Third party investigation!
My Merchant Navy site published the following from an exseagoing ships officer which I thing sums up the matter.
“The Captain was an aviator! The Navigator had rank of Commander at the age of 42. He has TWO AND A HALF YEARS bridge experience in TWENTY YEARS IN THE NAVY!!!!! I’ve seen more bridge experienced CADETS on merchant vessels!!!!! As I posted yesterday. A mate on a merchant vessel can make a cockups and end up in a collision. At least the mate… or even a Third Mate has more experience than the naval guys”.