CNO seeks ideas after ship collisions

WASHINGTON – Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson wants to bring in military and industry experts to help understand why there have been two major at-sea collisions in the Pacific theater in the last three months. CNO expects to bring in leaders from the maritime industry as part of a broader review on what may have led to Aug. 20’s collision between the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) and a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel east of the Strait of Malacca. Ten U.S. sailors went missing following the crash; and five were injured. On June 27, seven sailors were killed when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald was rammed by another commercial vessel near Singapore. As a result of the back-to-back collisions, CNO wants a broader view of the Navy’s capabilities and surface warfare training. The Navy is looking to get input from within and outside the military, including from some industry experts. There may be different ways to use naval capabilities and operating systems, Richardson noted. (Source: Navy Times 08/21/17) Gulf Coast Note: HII-Ingalls Shipyard at Pascagoula, Miss., delivered the second Arleigh Burke class destroyer, USS Barry (DDG-52), in October 1992.