Seventh Fleet Commander sacked after USS John S. McCain incident
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US Navy dismissed Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin as Commander of the Seventh Fleet on Wednesday, following the incident when destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker near the coast of Singapore on Monday, BBC informs.
In a statement, Commander of the Pacific Fleet announced that relieved Aucoin from his duties “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command.”
The Seventh Fleet is the largest forward-deployed fleet of the US Navy, with 50-70 ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 manpower. It is based in the city Yokosuka, Japan.
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Its area of operation spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the
International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South.
The collision from August 21 is the second US Navy major accident in the Pacific during the last two months resulted in 10 missing and 5 injured.
Seven vessels from the Malaysian and Singapore navies and American military aircraft are still searching for remains around one of the most congested shipping lanes in the world.
Human remains, have been found on board the ship, according to a statement from US Navy Admiral Scott Swift for the CNN.
“The US Navy and Marine Corps Divers searched today, assessing sealed compartments in damaged parts of the ship. The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments”, Swift told the press.
He added that the Malaysian Navy has reported that they have located potential remains and are working to confirm and identify those remains”, Swift told the press.
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The event sparked criticism from the English-language state-run newspaper China Daily, which claimed American presence in the South China Sea “is proving to be an increasing hindrance to ships sailing in Asian waters.”
USS John S. McCain is one of 84 US warships equipped with the Aegis missile defense system, which has been pointed as a possible efficient response to any North Korean missile launch.
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