United States

USS McCain Commanding Officers Relieved of Duty After Deadly Collision

"Two officers were relieved because of "loss of confidence," the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement

After the USS John S. McCain's collision with a merchant vessel that resulted in the deaths of 10 sailors, the ship's commanding officers have been relieved of their duties Tuesday, NBC News reported.

Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, the commanding officer, and Cmdr. Jessie L. Sanchez, the executive officer, were said to have exercised poor "judgement" and "leadership," respectively, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement.

The statement added that the two officers were relieved because of "loss of confidence."

The USS John S. McCain collided with a 30,000-ton tanker near Singapore in August, killing 10 sailors and injuring five. Earlier in June, the USS Fitzgerald slammed into a Japanese merchant ship in June resulting in seven sailors deaths. Admiral Scott Smith announced his retirement from Command of the Pacific Fleet because of the two incidents.

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