The commander of U.S. naval operations has ordered a comprehensive review to get to root causes after the collision this week between a Navy destroyer and an oil tanker near Singapore.

Monday's early-morning crash is the latest "in a series of incidents in the Pacific ," Adm. John Richardson said in a video statement. "This trend demands more forceful action."

Navy ships have been in at least four accidents in the Pacific this year:

The commander of the USS Antietam was relieved of duty after the guided-missile cruiser ran aground while it was anchoring near Yokosuka base, the home port of the U.S. Navy's Japan-based 7th Fleet.

The ship's propellers were damaged, and it returned to Yokosuka with the help of tugboats, the Navy said. About 1,100 gallons (4,000 ) of hydraulic fuel leaked into Tokyo Bay, according to media reports.

Stars and Stripes newspaper said an investigation report it obtained under the Freedom of Information Act describes a series of errors and incorrect judgments leading to the grounding.

No one was injured, and both ships were able to sail away under their own power, the Navy said.

The Champlain sounded its horn and tried to contact the fishing boat, but the latter did not have a radio, the U.S. Naval Institute News said, citing an unnamed official.

The San Diego-based Champlain was operating in the western Pacific for the first half of the year as part of the 3rd Fleet's USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group.

The collision tore a gash into the side of the Yokosuka-based ship, flooding sleeping quarters and other areas.

The cause remains under investigation, but the Navy relieved the ship's commanding officer and two other senior officers on Friday, just three days before the latest collision. </s> By LOLITA C. BALDOR, ANNABELLE LIANG and STEPHEN WRIGHT

SINGAPORE (AP) — The U.S. Navy ordered a broad investigation Monday into the performance and readiness of the Pacific-based 7th Fleet as vessels from several nations searched Southeast Asian waters for 10 missing U.S. sailors after an early morning collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker.

It was the second major collision in the last two months involving the Navy’s 7th Fleet. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, will call for a pause in operations and seek a deeper look at how the Navy trains and certifies its forces that are operating around Japan, according to a Naval official.

“He has put together a broader inquiry to look into these incidents,” said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, referring to the two recent collisions and other accidents at sea. Mattis spoke to reporters in Amman, Jordan, where he is traveling.

Vessels and aircraft from the U.S., Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia are searching for the missing sailors in Monday’s collision. Four other sailors were evacuated by a Singaporean navy helicopter to a hospital in the city-state for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, the Navy said. A fifth was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the destroyer arrived in Singapore under its own power, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said.

The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of China’s man-made islands in the South China Sea. The collision east of Singapore between the guided missile destroyer and the 183-meter (600-foot) Alnic MC ripped a gaping hole in the destroyer’s hull.

There have been four ship crashes in the last two years.

The Navy review will look at the fleet’s performance including personnel, navigation capabilities, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, munitions, certifications and how sailors move through their careers, according to a Navy official. Richardson wants to ensure there aren’t bigger problems in the fleet that may be masked by the high pace of operations there and budget uncertainties within the Defense Department, said the Navy official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publically before the announcement, so spoke on condition of anonymity

The Navy official said that beyond the tragedy of the lost lives and the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on repairs, Richardson wants to be sure that the Navy is able to meet the maritime demands, particularly in the Pacific region.

Richardson has directed Adm. Phil Davidson, head of the Navy’s Fleet Forces, to lead the investigation. Davidson will assemble a panel of officers to help with the investigation and will have the full use of the Navy’s office of the inspector general as well as the safety center, according to Richardson. </s> SINGAPORE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy announced on Monday a fleet-wide probe and plans for temporary halts in operations to focus on safety, as it searched for 10 sailors missing after the fourth major accident in the U.S. Pacific fleet this year.

The guided-missile destroyer John S. McCain and the tanker Alnic MC collided on Monday while the warship was nearing Singapore for a routine port call. The collision tore a hole in the warship’s waterline, flooding compartments that included a crew sleeping area, the U.S. Navy said.

“Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft,” it said in a statement. “There are currently 10 sailors missing and five injured.”

U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said there were no indications so far the collision was intentional or the result of cyber intrusion or sabotage. “But review will consider all possibilities,” he said on Twitter.

Richardson told reporters said he was asking his fleet commanders worldwide for a one-to-two-day staggered “operational pause” to discuss action to ensure safe and effective operations. He envisaged this could begin within a week.

Richardson said a comprehensive review would examine the training of U.S. forces deployed to Japan “to make sure we are doing everything we can to make them ready for operations and warfighting.”

This would include looking at “operational tempo, trends in personnel, materiel, maintenance and equipment.”

The review would be conducted on “a very tight timeline” Richardson said, adding: “We need to get to the bottom of this.”

JUNE INCIDENT

The John S. McCain’s sister ship, the Fitzgerald, almost sank off the coast of Japan after colliding with a Philippine container ship on June 17. The bodies of seven U.S. sailors were found in a flooded berthing area after that collision.

The U.S. Navy said last week it had removed the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor on the Fitzgerald following an investigation into that collision.

Retired Admiral James Stavridis, a former NATO supreme commander, said the need for an operational pause and the loss of two front-line ballistic missile defense destroyers for months was “deeply worrisome,” especially at a time of high tensions with North Korea.

“The Navy has some real soul-searching ahead, and this appears to be a systemic failure of some kind,” he said.

Mac Thornberry, the Republican chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, said the latest collision was the fourth major accident within the U.S. Pacific Fleet this year and highlighted funding cuts and the time crews spent at sea.

“Congress has a duty to provide our sailors with the additional resources they so clearly need, and to do so immediately,” he said in a statement.

In May, a South Korean fishing vessel collided with the guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain. Another guided-missile cruiser, Antietam, damaged its propellers in January while anchoring in Tokyo Bay.

The John S. McCain is named for the father and grandfather of U.S. Republican Senator John McCain, who were both admirals. McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

“My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the sailors and families of the USS John McCain and USS Fitzgerald,” he said in a statement, in which he called for an investigation that delivered full transparency and accountability.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted: “Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway.”

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters August 21, 2017. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

TENSE TIME

The accidents have come at a tense time.

This month, the John S. McCain sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built by China in the South China Sea, the latest operation to counter what the United States sees as China’s efforts to control the waters.

Also this month North Korea threatened to fire ballistic missiles towards the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said he would unleash “fire and fury” if Pyongyang threatened the United States.

The Navy said significant damage to the John S. McCain’s hull caused flooding to berthing, machinery, and communications rooms. But the crew was able to stop the flooding, and the ship reached Singapore’s Changi Naval Base under its own power.

Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian ships and aircraft joined the search for the missing sailors, the U.S. Navy said.

The Navy said in a later statement that aircraft from the amphibious assault ship America will continue searching for the missing sailors.

Damage control efforts on board are focused on “dewatering the ship and restoring auxiliary system,” and divers have started assessing the hull, the statement said.

Four of those hurt were taken to a hospital in Singapore with non-life threatening injuries. The fifth needed no further treatment.

Reuters video footage from the Singapore Strait showed an area of impact about 6 meters (20 ft) wide in the John S. McCain’s port side.

A crew member on the Alnic MC told Reuters there was some damage to a valve, but no oil spilled from the Liberian-flagged, 183-metre-long (600-ft) tanker, which was carrying almost 12,000 tonnes of fuel oil from Taiwan to Singapore.

Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said no injuries were reported on the Alnic, which suffered some damage above the waterline.

Slideshow (21 Images)

The waterways around Singapore are some of the busiest in the world, carrying about a third of global shipping trade.

Ben Stewart, commercial manager of Maritime Asset Security and Training in Singapore, said early indications suggested the warship may have turned across the front of the tanker. </s> Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. Scott Swift announced Tuesday that some of the remains of the missing Navy sailors had been located.

“The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps divers joined a search today assessing sealed compartments and damaged parts of the ship. The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today. Additionally, the Malaysian Navy has reported that they have located potential remains. They are working to confirm and identify those remains,” Mr. Swift announced to reporters.

Ten sailors went missing after the USS John S. McCain collided with a oil and chemical tanker near Singapore.

Mr. Swift would not say how many of the sailors remains were recovered, saying they were still in the process of identifying the remains.

The collision marks the second major incident in two months involving the Pacific fleet.

In June, the USS Fitzgerald collided with another ship near Japan resulting in the deaths of seven sailors. The Navy has now called for an investigation to find the broader problem wth these incidents. </s> × US Navy 7th Fleet Commander to Be Dismissed After Second US Destroyer Collision in 2 Months

The US Navy intends to remove Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin as the commander of the US 7th Fleet, based in Yokosuka, Japan, according to a US official. This follows an incident Monday in which the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant ship.

Ten sailors assigned to the ship were missing following the accident, and the Navy has reported that “some” remains have been since recovered, Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said Tuesday.

The McCain and the tanker ship collided Monday east of the Malacca Strait, the fourth time a US warship has been involved in an accident in Asian waters this year.

The collision prompted the Navy to order a rare, one-day operational pause.

“This trend demands more forceful action,” Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, said. Swift said the Pacific Fleet will complete the operational pause, in which units rotate in standing down for a 24-hour period, by next Monday.

US Navy and Marine Corps divers found the remains in the sealed compartments aboard the McCain after it docked at a naval base in Singapore, said Swift. The Royal Malaysian Navy has located one body at sea, and officials are working to determine whether it is one of the missing sailors, he said.

Aucoin’s role has come under scrutiny since a spate of incidents in the Pacific theater, including another at-sea collision between a US Navy destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, and a cargo ship off Japan’s Izu Peninsula.

That accident, on June 17, caused the deaths of seven US sailors.

Speaking shortly after that incident, Aucoin told reporters, alongside the ship at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, that the loss of sailors under his command “is something we all feel.”

“We have found a number of the remains … of our missing shipmates, and our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those shipmates,” he said. </s> The U.S. Navy will relieve the USS Fitzgerald's commanding officer, executive officer and senior enlisted sailor for mistakes that lead to a deadly crash with a merchant ship in June.

Seven U.S. sailors lost their lives when the Navy destroyer collided with a Philippine container ship in the middle of the night off the coast of Japan.

The Navy announced Thursday that they intended to relieve the ship's leadership after it was determined the Navy had lost trust and confidence in their ability to lead in those positions.

They are among a dozen of the ship's crew who could face administrative action for their role in the collision. The Navy’s investigation into the collision continues.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates. </s> SINGAPORE (AP) - The U.S. Navy ordered a broad investigation Monday into the performance and readiness of the Pacific-based 7th Fleet as vessels from several nations searched Southeast Asian waters for 10 missing U.S. sailors after an early morning collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker.

It was the second major collision in the last two months involving the Navy's 7th Fleet. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, will call for a pause in operations and seek a deeper look at how the Navy trains and certifies its forces that are operating around Japan, according to a Naval official.

"He has put together a broader inquiry to look into these incidents," said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, referring to the two recent collisions and other accidents at sea. Mattis spoke to reporters in Amman, Jordan, where he is traveling.

Vessels and aircraft from the U.S., Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia are searching for the missing sailors in Monday's collision. Four other sailors were evacuated by a Singaporean navy helicopter to a hospital in the city-state for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, the Navy said. A fifth was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the destroyer arrived in Singapore under its own power, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said.

The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea. The collision east of Singapore between the guided missile destroyer and the 183-meter (600-foot) Alnic MC ripped a gaping hole in the destroyer's hull.

There have been four ship crashes in the last two years.

The Navy review will look at the fleet's performance including personnel, navigation capabilities, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, munitions, certifications and how sailors move through their careers, according to a Navy official. Richardson wants to ensure there aren't bigger problems in the fleet that may be masked by the high pace of operations there and budget uncertainties within the Defense Department, said the Navy official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publically before the announcement, so spoke on condition of anonymity

The Navy official said that beyond the tragedy of the lost lives and the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on repairs, Richardson wants to be sure that the Navy is able to meet the maritime demands, particularly in the Pacific region.

Richardson has directed Adm. Phil Davidson, head of the Navy's Fleet Forces, to lead the investigation. Davidson will assemble a panel of officers to help with the investigation and will have the full use of the Navy's office of the inspector general as well as the safety center, according to Richardson. </s> The US Navy has ordered a broad investigation into the performance and readiness of the Pacific-based 7th Fleet after a collision between the USS John S McCain and an oil tanker in South-East Asian waters left 10 sailors missing and others injured.

It was the second major collision in the last two months involving the navy's 7th Fleet. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, will call for a pause in operations and investigate how the navy trains and certifies its forces that are operating around Japan, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said.

"He has put together a broader inquiry to look into these incidents," General Mattis said, referring to the two recent collisions and other accidents at sea.

A navy official said the pause would involve a staggered day-long stand-down to check safety measures.

Admiral Richardson has directed Admiral Phil Davidson, head of the Navy's Fleet Forces, to lead the investigation.

"This review will be on a very tight timetable," Admiral Richardson said.

Vessels and aircraft from the US, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia are searching for the missing sailors.

Four other sailors were evacuated by a Singaporean navy helicopter to a hospital in the city-state for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, the navy said.

A fifth was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the destroyer arrived in Singapore under its own power, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said.

There was no immediate explanation for the collision.

Singapore, at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the world's busiest ports and a US ally, with its naval base regularly visited by American warships.

The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea.

The collision east of Singapore between the 154-metre guided missile destroyer and the 183-metre Alnic MC ripped a gaping hole in the destroyer's hull.

The Navy's 7th Fleet said "significant damage" to the McCain's hull resulted in the flooding of adjacent compartments including crew berths, machinery and communications rooms.

A damage control response prevented further flooding, it said.

The destroyer was damaged on its port side aft, or left rear, in the 6:24am collision about eight kilometres from Malaysia's coast but was able to sail on to Singapore's naval base.

Malaysia's Maritime Enforcement Agency said the area is at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the Singapore Strait, one of the world's busiest.

Another US naval vessel, the amphibious assault ship USS America, arrived in Singapore and deployed Osprey aircraft and Seahawk helicopters.

It was helping with damage control on the McCain and with the search for the missing sailors.

One of the injured sailors, Navin Ramdhun, posted a Facebook message telling family and friends he was OK and awaiting surgery for an arm injury.

The Singapore Government said no crew members were injured on the Liberian-flagged Alnic, which sustained damage to a compartment at the starboard, or right, side at the front of the ship around seven metres above its waterline.

The ship had a partial load of fuel oil, according to the Greek owner of the tanker, but there were no reports of a spill. </s> Ten U.S. Navy sailors are unaccounted for after the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant ship in southeast Asia.

A U.S. military official says in addition to the missing crew members five others were injured.

The collision happened in waters east of Singapore and the straits of Malacca.

The navy says the ship sustained damage on its port side and the extent of the damage was being assessed.

The navy's seventh fleet identified the merchant ship as the Alnic MC and says the collision occurred early Monday morning, local time.

The Japan-based fleet said the McCain was heading to Singapore for a routine port visit at the time of the collision and the ship was heading to port under its own power.

It is the second collision involving a ship from the seventh fleet in the Asia-Pacific region in two months.

Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship hit each other in waters off Japan.
The U.S. Navy orders an investigation into its Pacific Fleet following the collision, which is the fourth crash involving a U.S. Navy ship in the past two years and the second in the past two months.