FALLOUT

U.S. Navy to Relieve Senior Leadership of Ship Involved in Fatal Collision

Probe reveals “plenty of evidence” of “serious mistakes” in U.S.S. Fitzgerald crash.

The captain of a U.S. Navy warship involved in a collision that killed seven sailors in June will be relieved of his duties on the ship, while several other members of the U.S.S. Fitzgerald’s leadership face punishment. Adm. William Moran, the vice chief of naval operations, said Thursday the ship’s top three leaders will be relieved of command, while nearly a dozen others will face an undetermined non-judicial punishment for the crash. “Serious mistakes were made by members of the crew,” Moran said, adding that some sailors in charge of keeping watch had “lost situational awareness” prior to the crash. The ship’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Bryce Benson; the executive officer, Cmdr. Sean Babbitt; and Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin, the ship’s command master chief, were named as the top three to be relieved of their duties over the incident. The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, but Moran said there is already “plenty of evidence to determine that serious mistakes were made.”