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US Navy to file charges of negligent homicide in two deadly ship collisions

WASHINGTON Jan 17 (KUNA) -- The United States Navy is filing charges of negligent homicide against commanders and several officers involved in two deadly collisions that killed 17 sailors last year, the Navy announced late Tuesday.
The Navy announced in a statement it is filing criminal charges against six sailors, while another eight will face non-judicial punishment, which could include reductions in rank and pay loss.
The former commander of the USS Fitzgerald, Commander Bryce Benson, will face charges of negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and hazarding a vessel, as will three of his lieutenants, the Navy said. The USS Fitzgerald collided with a commercial ship in waters off Japan last June, killing seven sailors.
The former commander of USS John McCain, Commander Alfredo Sanchez, will face similar charges, and a chief petty officer from the McCain has already been charged with dereliction of duty. The ship collided with a commercial tanker off the coast of Singapore in August, killing 10 sailors.
The Navy stated that both collisions resulted from a chain of errors, missed warnings and poor training.
"The collisions were avoidable," Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said in a report released in November. (end) hy.hb