US Navy Ships Involved in Deadly Crashes Reportedly Had Abysmal Training Record

TEHRAN (defapress)- A series of fatal accidents, involving US Navy destroyers and civilian ships, sparked a thorough review of the Navy's preparedness.

News ID: 67475

Date: 13 December 2017 - 18:32

A new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) seen by CNN reveals damning details about the state of readiness of the US Navy ships, the USS Fitzgerald and the USS John S. McCain, which were involved in deadly crashes with civilian ships earlier this year, Sputnik reported.

The report stated that the crew of the two ships failed to satisfy fundamental training requirements before the incidents.

Some of the training certifications had lapsed for more than two years, signifying a systematic failure of the Navy that might have contributed to the deadly accidents.

As of the 26th of June 2017, the USS Fitzgerald had 15 of its 22 certifications expired with some of its qualification not being renewed for almost a year.

The McCain only had 7 of its certifications lapsed, though its crew failed to fulfill its cruise missile and surface fire support requirements for over two years.

The crews' performance particularly suffered in so-called "Tier Two" mission areas, including basic seamanship and communication that sheds light on the reasons behind the fatal collisions.

All ten "Tier Two" training certificates expired on the Fitzgerald and over a half had lapsed on the McCain.

Preliminary investigation into the Fitzgerald crash found that the crew did not realize that the cargo ship was approaching and failed to take necessary maneuvers to avoid the accident.

The deadly crashes led to the dismissal of the US Navy's 7th Fleet commander Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin and senior commanders on the ships involved.

The full-fledged review into the accidents is still on-going.