The US navy on Wednesday sacked two top commanders from a warship that was involved in a deadly collision with a tanker off Singapore, citing a 鈥渓oss of confidence鈥 in the officers.
On August 21, the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain smashed into a tanker as the warship headed to Singapore, tearing a huge hole in the hull.
The collision killed 10 sailors and injured five others.
READ: Nations search for 10 missing after US destroyer collision
That incident came after another destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship off Japan in June, leaving seven sailors dead.
READ:
Commanding officer Alfredo J. Sanchez and executive officer Jessie L. Sanchez of the USS John S. McCain 鈥渨ere relieved of their duties鈥 on Wednesday, the Pacific-based US Seventh Fleet said in a statement.
鈥淏oth were relieved due to a loss of confidence,鈥 it said.
Two non-deadly incidents also occurred this year鈥攊n January, the USS Antietam ran aground near its base in Japan and in May, the USS Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing vessel.
Following the USS McCain incident, the Navy sacked the commander of the Seventh Fleet, and several other officers and enlisted sailors have been relieved of duty or reprimanded. /jpv