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U.S. Naval Commanders Charged With Negligent Homicide for Role in Ship Collisions

posted by martyb on Wednesday January 17 2018, @06:18PM   Printer-friendly
from the actions-and-reactions dept.

takyon writes:

Naval Commanders In 2 Deadly Ship Collisions To Be Charged With Negligent Homicide

The U.S. Navy announced Tuesday that the commanding officers of two vessels involved in separate collisions in the Pacific Ocean last year will face court-martial proceedings and possible criminal charges including negligent homicide.

The statement by Navy spokesman Capt. Greg Hicks says the decision to prosecute the commanders, and several lower-ranking officers as well, was made by Adm. Frank Caldwell.

[...] In the case of the USS Fitzgerald, the commander, two lieutenants and one lieutenant junior grade face possible charges of dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel and negligent homicide.

The commander of the USS John S. McCain will face possible charges of dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel and negligent homicide. A chief petty officer also faces one possible charge of dereliction of duty.

Previously: U.S. Navy Destroyer Collides With Container Vessel
10 Sailors Still Missing After U.S. Destroyer Collision With Oil Tanker
Chief of Naval Operations Report on This Summer's Destroyer Collisions

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  • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday January 17 2018, @11:34PM (4 children)

    by Grishnakh (2831) on Wednesday January 17 2018, @11:34PM (#623903)

    And what's the Captain going to do when he reports to his superiors that his crew isn't up to the task, and they say "too bad, you have a mission, now do it"? Why do you absolve the Captain's superiors of all responsibility and place it solely on the Captain?

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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday January 18 2018, @02:29AM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday January 18 2018, @02:29AM (#623969) Journal

    If things are as dire as you suggest, then maybe those captains should be charting courses somewhere near the Snowden Sea. Let me check the charts again - where is Edward Harbor?

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by stormwyrm on Thursday January 18 2018, @08:12AM (1 child)

    by stormwyrm (717) on Thursday January 18 2018, @08:12AM (#624057) Journal
    The honourable thing would be to resign one's command in disgust, making a VERY big stink about one's reasons for doing so. If enough senior officers did this, that would definitely get the attention of the REMFs in the Pentagon and eventually even the Armed Services Committees in Congress. If it truly is a systemic problem in the Navy, there would be many ship's captains with similar grievances and it would not be hard to organise them into a group that would agitate for reforms.
    --
    Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 18 2018, @10:32PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 18 2018, @10:32PM (#624437)
      The big problem, especially for the commander of USS John S. McCain, is that the current chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee is Senator John McCain himself. I doubt he would be disposed to look kindly upon the guy who allowed an accident to occur on the ship bearing his name and that of his father and grandfather!

  • (Score: 2) by Bobs on Thursday January 18 2018, @05:03PM

    by Bobs (1462) on Thursday January 18 2018, @05:03PM (#624211)

    And what evidence do you have that he reported an issue up the chain, or that he even knew there was an issue?

    I don't have the details, but it is the responsibility of the Captain to make sure the ship and crew are ready.

    If he did know there was a problem, and he reported it up the chain, that will come out and be a mitigating factor at the trial.

    But if he did know there was a problem, why did he not come up with a way to mitigate it until it was fixed?

    If he didn't know there was a problem, then why not?

    This is a terrible situation, but it is the Captain's responsibility to see that these things do not happen to his ship and crew.