Captain of USS Fitzgerald and his executive officer are removed from duty after deadly collision with a cargo ship off the coast of Japan that claimed the lives of seven sailors

  • Navy says Thursday three senior sailors aboard USS Fitzgerald removed from duty
  • Removed: Commander Bryce Benson, who was the ship's captain, Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin, and Commander Sean Babbitt, the executive officer
  • The Navy says a dozen other sailors are expected to face punishment 
  • The crew members on the bridge 'lost situational awareness' according to Navy
  • Fitzgerald crashed on June 21 off the coast of Japan, killing seven sailors
  • The collision tore a hole in the Fitzgerald's hull and water poured into the berthing area while sailors slept; authorities said the $1.5bn could have sank 

By Jessica Finn For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 21:38 EDT, 17 August 2017 | Updated: 08:17 EDT, 18 August 2017

The highest ranking naval leaders who were aboard the USS Fitzgerald when the ship crashed in June off the coast of Japan, will be removed from duty. 

Adm. William Moran, the vice chief of naval operations, said Thursday that the ship's captain Cmdr. Bryce Benson and executive officer, Cmdr. Sean Babbitt will be relieved of their command. 

Additionally Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin, the ship's command master chief - its most senior enlisted sailor - is being removed. Nearly a dozen other crew members face punishment.

Commander Bryce Benson, the USS Fitzgerald's captain, has been removed from duty following the deadly June 21 crash of the USS Fitzgerald, where seven sailors lost their lives

Commander Bryce Benson, the USS Fitzgerald's captain, has been removed from duty following the deadly June 21 crash of the USS Fitzgerald, where seven sailors lost their lives

Executive officer, Cmdr. Sean Babbitt
Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin

Left to right: Executive officer Cmdr. Sean Babbitt and Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin are removed from duty after the deadly crash of the USS Fitzgerald, with a dozen more crew members expected to be punished

Damage pictured on the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald off the Shimoda coast, after it collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship on June 17

Damage pictured on the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald off the Shimoda coast, after it collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship on June 17

Pictured, the damaged Filipino container vessel ACX Crystal after the crash

Pictured, the damaged Filipino container vessel ACX Crystal after the crash

Close up look at the damage to the ACX Crystal after the crash

Close up look at the damage to the ACX Crystal after the crash

The warship USS Fitzgerald crashed into Filipino cargo ship ACX Crystal off the coast of Honshu, on June 17, claiming the lives of seven American sailors. 

'Serious mistakes were made by members of the crew,' Moran said, adding the 'bridge team' or sailors responsible for keeping watch on the bridge to make sure the ship is safe 'lost situational awareness.'

The sailors were unable to respond quickly enough to avoid the disaster once the container ship was spotted.

Seven US Navy sailors were killed in the collision. They are (top row, left to right) Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, CA; Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, VA; Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, CT; and Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, CA. Bottom row (left to right Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., from Elyria, OH; Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, MD; and Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, TX

Seven US Navy sailors were killed in the collision. They are (top row, left to right) Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, CA; Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, VA; Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, CT; and Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, CA. Bottom row (left to right Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., from Elyria, OH; Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, MD; and Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, TX

Damage to the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald is seen as the vessel is berthed at its mother port in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, on June 18, 2017

Damage to the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald is seen as the vessel is berthed at its mother port in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, on June 18, 2017

Separately, the Navy released the results of a review of events that took place aboard the ship after the collision, focusing on the crew's efforts to control damage, save lives and keep the ship afloat.

The US Navy faced embarrassing questions in June over how one of their advanced $1.5bn missile destroyer was struck in near perfect visibility. 

Seas were calm and visibility was unrestricted when the crash occurred in the predawn hours.

The bow of the container ship, the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal, slammed into the Fitzgerald's right side above the waterline, quickly flooding several areas inside the ship, including a berthing, or sleeping, area.

'Heroic efforts prevented the flooding from catastrophically spreading which could have caused the ship to founder or sink,' said Vice Admiral Aucoin at a press conference the day after the collision.  

The seven who died are: Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19; Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23; Xavier Alex Martin, 24; Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25; Rehm Jr, 37; Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25; and Noe Hernandez, 26.  

The US Navy faced embarrassing questions over how one of their advanced $1.5bn warships was struck in near perfect visibility

The US Navy faced embarrassing questions over how one of their advanced $1.5bn warships was struck in near perfect visibility

Devastating damage. The Navy said the commanding officer of the warship that lost seven sailors in the collision will be relieved of command
Close up of damage to the USS Fitzgerald

Devastating damage. The Navy said the commanding officer of the warship that lost seven sailors in the collision will be relieved of command

The Fitzgerald's captain, Commander Bryce Benson, was asleep at the time of the collision and it remains unclear whether the crew called the commanding officer to the bridge.

The crash left a huge hole in the hull of the Fitzgerald's starboard side and water poured into the area where sailors slept. 

Of the 35 sailors who were in Berthing 2 at the time, 28 escaped. Seven drowned.

The collision knocked out external communications and cut power in the forward portion of the ship.

The Navy review of what happened aboard the ship following the collision found that the seven deaths could not be blamed on misconduct. 

It commended the response by the ship's crew, singling out two sailors for taking extra steps to help others out of the flooded berthing space - actions that it said likely saved the lives of at least two of their shipmates.

'No damage control efforts, however, would have prevented Berthing 2 from flooding completely within the first two minutes following the collision, or the deadly circumstances in that situation,' the review said.

The report said that although some in Berthing 2 heard a loud noise at the time of the collision or were thrown from their beds by the force of the impact, some did not realize what had happened and remained in bed. Some remained asleep.

'At least one sailor had to be pulled from his rack and into the water before he woke up,' it said.

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