The U.S. Navy relieved of duty the top three officers of the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) last Thursday months after the ship collided with a merchant vessel near Japan (Defense Daily, June 19).
DDG-62’s commanding officer Cmdr. Bryce Benson, executive officer Cmdr. Sean Babbitt, and command master chief Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin were relieved by Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of the Seventh Fleet, on Aug. 18.
Benson, who was previously temporarily relieved of duty for medical reasons after being injured in the collision, was now relieved of duty due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead, the service said in a statement. Benson is being reassigned to Naval District Washington at the Washington Navy Yard where he will have access to medical facilities.
The Navy noted other officers and enlisted watch standers were held accountable. Several junior officers were relieved of duty because of poor seamanship and flawed teamwork as bridge and combat information center watch standers. Further administrative actions were also taken against members of both watch teams.
These determinations were made after “a thorough review of the facts and circumstances leading up to the June 17 collision” between the Fitzgerald and ACX Crystal.
The service said the collision was avoidable and both ships “demonstrated poor seamanship.” The Navy highlighted on the destroyer “flawed watch stander teamwork and inadequate leadership contributed to the collision that claimed the lives of seven Fitzgerald Sailors, injured three more and damaged both ships.”
The Navy said Babbit and Baldwin in particular demonstrated inadequate leadership and “contributed to the lack of watch stander preparedness and readiness that was evident in the events leading up to the collision.”
However, the Navy noted the ships’ crew “demonstrated real toughness that night” when sailors responded with determination and creativity to save the ship.
Now Cmdr. Garret Miller will assume command from the Fitzgerald’s acting commanding officer Cmdr. John Fay in mid-to-late August.
The Navy also released a supplement to its line of duty investigation of DDG-62 on Aug. 17. The report reviews the crew’s damage control activities, nature and extent of crew injuries and efforts to provide medical care, details regarding assistance provided by other vessels, and details on the ship’s return tio port in Yokosuka, Japan.
This line of duty investigation supplement is one of three Navy investigations into the larger collisison and aims to provide details of what happened after the collision. The service noted all injuries and deaths occurred in the line of duty with none being due to any member’s misconduct.
Separately, the Navy posthumously advanced all of the sailors who died in the collision to the next rank on Aug. 16.