Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the three-star commander of the U. S. 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan, will be relieved of command on Wednesday after four accidents involving Navy ships, reports say.
Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the three-star commander of the U. S. 7th Fleet will be relieved of command on Wednesday, according to reports. The fleet is based in Yokosuka, Japan.
Unidentified officials tell news organizations that Aucoin was being dismissed due to the Navy leadership’s loss of confidence in his ability to command. NPR has not independently confirmed the reports.
Aucoin’s expected removal follows four accidents involving Navy ships in the Pacific this year.
The latest happened early Monday off Singapore when the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker. Ten sailors were reported missing. Since the accident, some remains have been found.
The White House issued a statement on Tuesday expressing «great sadness» over the deaths of the sailors aboard the McCain.
In June, seven sailors died after the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off Japan. Searchers found the bodies of the seven sailors in flooded berthing compartments.
Before that, the guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing vessel in May. And in January, the guided-missile cruiser Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay.
After the collision on Monday, Adm. John Richardson, the Navy’s top officer, announced that all 277 Navy ships worldwide would take an «operational pause» to review basic seamanship, teamwork and other «fundamentals.»
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that Aucoin would be removed from duty:
As the commander of the U. S. Pacific Fleet, Swift oversees the 7th fleet. The New York Times reports Swift talked to reporters in Singapore about the incident involving the McCain.
The McCain is part of the 7th Fleet which has about 50 to 70 ships assigned to it. The 7th Fleet was formed during World War II, and is responsible for an area that spans 36 maritime countries and 48 million square miles in the Pacific and Indian oceans.
