A pair of Navy commanders face negligent homicide charges over the collisions of two US destroyers with merchant ships that left 17 sailors dead this summer, a new report found.
Cmdr. Bryce Benson, former commander of the USS Fitzgerald, and Cmdr. Jessie L. Sanchez, former commander of the USS John S. McCain, face a slew of charges, including dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel and negligent homicide, USNI News reported.
The USS Fitzgerald slammed into the merchant ship ACX Crystal off the coast of Japan on June 17, killing seven US sailors ,and the USS John McCain smacked into an oil tanker on Aug. 20, leaving 10 sailors dead.
The Navy’s US Fleet Forces Command had found that total incompetence, including a lack of even “basic skills such as seamanship and navigation,” had caused the deadly crashes.
The commanders will have their charges read during the Military Justice’s equivalent of a preliminary hearing soon, the website reported.
Other lower-ranked officers also face similar charges, and some sailors will face non-judicial punishment for the incidents.
A Navy spokesperson declined to comment.
Other actions taken after recommendations by an independent investigation into the crashes included the resignation of the head of the Navy’s Pacific ship fleet, Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, who is set to step down this week.