Posted on Jan 16, 2018
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Not good for these 2 commanding officers!
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy says it is filing negligent homicide charges against the commanders of two ships involved in fatal collisions last year.
The charges are to be presented at what the military calls an Article 32 hearing, which will determine whether the accused are court-martialed.
The actions, including charges against several lower-ranking officers, were announced Tuesday by the Navy's chief spokesman, Capt. Greg Hicks.
Hicks says the decision to file charges was made by Adm. Frank Caldwell, head of the Navy's nuclear reactors program, who reviewed evidence of what caused the collisions. The USS Fitzgerald collided with a commercial ship in waters off Japan in June, killing seven sailors. Ten sailors were killed when the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in Southeast Asia in August.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy says it is filing negligent homicide charges against the commanders of two ships involved in fatal collisions last year.
The charges are to be presented at what the military calls an Article 32 hearing, which will determine whether the accused are court-martialed.
The actions, including charges against several lower-ranking officers, were announced Tuesday by the Navy's chief spokesman, Capt. Greg Hicks.
Hicks says the decision to file charges was made by Adm. Frank Caldwell, head of the Navy's nuclear reactors program, who reviewed evidence of what caused the collisions. The USS Fitzgerald collided with a commercial ship in waters off Japan in June, killing seven sailors. Ten sailors were killed when the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in Southeast Asia in August.
Navy filing homicide charges against 2 ship commanders
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Commanders
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 3
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Thanks TSgt Joe C. for letting us know that the U.S. Navy filed negligent homicide charges against the commanders of:
1. USS Fitzgerald collided with a commercial ship in waters off Japan in June, killing seven sailors.
2. USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in Southeast Asia in August killing ten sailors.
Adm. Frank Caldwell, who is the head of the Navy's nuclear reactors program reviewed evidence of what caused the collisions.
He established an Article 32 hearing which will determine whether the accused are court-martialed. The date and location of the future Article 32 hearing has not been announced.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Bill Koski Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown Maj Marty Hogan MSG Andrew White SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SPC Margaret Higgins MSgt Jason McClish AN Christopher Crayne SPC Tom DeSmet SGT Charles H. Hawes SGT (Join to see) SSG David Andrews
1. USS Fitzgerald collided with a commercial ship in waters off Japan in June, killing seven sailors.
2. USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in Southeast Asia in August killing ten sailors.
Adm. Frank Caldwell, who is the head of the Navy's nuclear reactors program reviewed evidence of what caused the collisions.
He established an Article 32 hearing which will determine whether the accused are court-martialed. The date and location of the future Article 32 hearing has not been announced.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Bill Koski Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown Maj Marty Hogan MSG Andrew White SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SPC Margaret Higgins MSgt Jason McClish AN Christopher Crayne SPC Tom DeSmet SGT Charles H. Hawes SGT (Join to see) SSG David Andrews
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
LTC Stephen F. TSgt Joe C. I Heard the News Today on NPR on the way into work. I've Heard of Relieved of Command, Forced Retirement, Even Admirals Mast but this is a First. Investigation must have Found a Horror Story when it came to Commanding these Ships.
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LTC Stephen F.
MSG Andrew White - I concur with you. They may well have been pushed forward as scapegoats.
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Seems there has been a rash of such things over the past 20 years beginning with the Greenville incident off the coast of Hawaii and since there have been many other commanders relieved for operational misconduct.
They are supposed to be the best we have; the best we can make. Yet the incidents continue to mount and yet the Navy seems to consider this just the cost of doing business.
A considerable number of others have been relieved for personal misconduct.
There appears to be something systemically wrong within the operational process the Navy has not addressed. While Commander Scott Waddle was a shining star in the fleet and a great representative of the Navy, he was considered negligent in the Ehime Maru collision for failing to follow procedures with respect to scanning the surface with his periscope among other things outside of his immediate control that should have been managed by a Master Chief or other subordinate. It cost him his career, as it should. But other commanders who are not even on the bridge at the time of an incident are relieved for negligence when those who are driving the ship are careless or even just a victim of circumstance in a system derived by the Navy, or something else beyond their immediate control.
Sometimes I'm left scratching my head about such things and wondering, what is the linch pin to the majority of these cases of operational misconduct charges.
The Navy Department seems to be stuck in a rut it apparently doesn't care to escape.
Thanks for posting this, Joe and have a great day!
They are supposed to be the best we have; the best we can make. Yet the incidents continue to mount and yet the Navy seems to consider this just the cost of doing business.
A considerable number of others have been relieved for personal misconduct.
There appears to be something systemically wrong within the operational process the Navy has not addressed. While Commander Scott Waddle was a shining star in the fleet and a great representative of the Navy, he was considered negligent in the Ehime Maru collision for failing to follow procedures with respect to scanning the surface with his periscope among other things outside of his immediate control that should have been managed by a Master Chief or other subordinate. It cost him his career, as it should. But other commanders who are not even on the bridge at the time of an incident are relieved for negligence when those who are driving the ship are careless or even just a victim of circumstance in a system derived by the Navy, or something else beyond their immediate control.
Sometimes I'm left scratching my head about such things and wondering, what is the linch pin to the majority of these cases of operational misconduct charges.
The Navy Department seems to be stuck in a rut it apparently doesn't care to escape.
Thanks for posting this, Joe and have a great day!
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it seems a bit harsh. Why wouldn't they just relieve them and QMP them where their career is done?
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