Navy relieves commander of U.S. 7th Fleet after latest collision

Ankara, Turkey — The Navy said Wednesday it has fired the commander of the Japan-based U.S. fleet that has suffered four major accidents at sea this year, including two deadly collisions in the last two months, a rash of mishaps that have shaken the Navy.

The punishment comes two days after the Navy announced a rare suspension of operations around the globe for a fleet-wide safety review following the predawn collision of a guided-missile destroyer and an oil tanker that left 10 sailors missing — and presumed dead — near Singapore.

Adm. Scott Swift, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, dismissed Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of the 7th Fleet, “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the Navy said.

The Navy said Rear Adm. Phil Sawyer, who was supposed to take command in September, will assume command immediately. The 7th Fleet, which oversees naval operations in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean, is based in Yokosuka, Japan.

There had been no finding of fault against Aucoin because the Navy is still conducting what it called a comprehensive investigation into the unusual string of deadly incidents, which have rocked the Navy.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson ordered the review Monday, saying “more forceful action” is needed to determine why trained crews on U.S. warships carrying radars and other high-tech sensors failed to avoid collisions while underway.

Richardson also announced the unusual “operational pause” in a video posted to social media.

The stand-down was announced hours after the U.S. guided-missile destroyer John S. McCain collided with the Alnic MC, a Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker that is nearly three times its size. The accident occurred at 5:24 a.m. local time at the entrance to the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

The collision came two months after the McCain’s sister ship, the guided-missile destroyer Fitzgerald, was rammed by a much larger Philippine-flagged container ship, the ACX Crystal, on a calm, clear night about 50 nautical miles from Yokosuka.