US Navy to relieve commander of 7th Fleet following string of accidents

The U.S. Navy plans to relieve from duty the three star admiral in charge of the U.S. Seventh Fleet after a string of four accidents this year that includes this week's deadly collision of the destroyer USS John S McCain with an oil tanker off Singapore.

Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan

According to a U.S. official, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan, will be relieved of duty for a loss of confidence. Aucoin will be relieved of command by Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, on Wednesday in Japan.

Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, speaks to reporters during a press conference, at Changi naval base in Singapore on August 22, 2017.

Ten sailors are missing from the McCain's collision. Earlier on Tuesday, Navy divers found some of their remains inside the ship's flooded sleeping compartments. The collision comes two months after the USS Fitzgerald's deadly collision with a container ship that killed seven sailors.

News of Aucoin's being relieved of command was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Aucoin was already slated to retire in September and turn over command of the Seventh Fleet to Rear Admiral Phillip Sawyer. But his relief from command shows the Navy’s focus on accountability in the wake of the incidents this year involving the USS John S McCain, USS Fitzgerald, USS Lake Champlain and the USS Antietam.

The collision involving the USS McCain is just the latest in a string of mishaps for the U.S. Navy that have taken place in the Pacific.

USS Fitzgerald

The USS Fitzgerald collided in mid-June with a Philippine-flagged container ship off the coast of Japan in June, killing seven sailors.

In May, the USS Lake Champlain, a guided missile cruiser, collided with a fishing boat in the Sea of Japan. There were no injuries. In this case, the Navy ship tried to alert the fishing boat prior to the collision, but it was too late.

And in February, the USS Antietam, also a guided missile cruiser, ran aground off the coast of Japan, damaging its propellers and spilling oil into the water.

(ABC)