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US 7th Fleet Commander to Be Relieved Amid Warships' Collisions

© REUTERS / Ahmad MasoodThe U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters August 21, 2017.
The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters August 21, 2017. - Sputnik International
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The US Navy plans to relieve from duty Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the US Seventh Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan, after a number of recent collisions with the US warships in Asia, media reported Tuesday citing US officials.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — According to The Wall Street Journal, Aucoin was already slated to retire in September due to high year of tenure, however, in the wake of the recent incidents the commander will be relieved of duty for a loss of confidence.

However, no official claims against Aucoin in connection with the collisions have been issued so far.

The U.S. Navy warship USS John McCain, an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer. File photo - Sputnik International
US Navy Chief Orders Probe Into Pacific Fleet Increased Collisions
On Monday, five sailors were injured after US destroyer John S. McCain collided with the merchant vessel Alnic MC near the Malacca straits. Four sailors were taken to local hospitals and the injury of the fifth sailor did not require hospital assistance. A US Navy Pacific Fleet commander said that divers had located human remains inside the flooded compartments of the destroyer.

There is significant damage to the hull of the McCain, according to the Navy.

The collision is the second by a US ship with a civilian vessel in the Seventh Fleet area of operations this summer. In June, seven sailors were killed when the US destroyer Fitzgerald hit a cargo ship off the coast of Japan.

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