US Navy replaces naval commander after collisions in Asian waters
With 10 sailors still missing, vice-admiral Joseph Aucoin is being stepped down from the Seventh Fleet, which has been involved in four collisions this year
Washington/Tokyo — On Wednesday, the US Navy said it had removed Seventh Fleet Commander vice-admiral Joseph Aucoin after a series of collisions involving its warships in Asia as the search goes on for 10 sailors missing since the latest mishap. Aucoin’s removal comes days after a pre-dawn collision between a guided-missile destroyer and a merchant vessel east of Singapore and Malaysia on Monday, the fourth major incident in the US Pacific Fleet this year. "Admiral Scott Swift, commander of US Pacific Fleet, today relieved the commander of the Seventh Fleet, vice-admiral Joseph Aucoin, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command," the US Navy said in a press release. Swift, who traveled to Japan to relieve Aucoin, ordered his deputy Pacific Fleet commander, rear admiral Phil Sawyer, to immediately take command of the powerful US force. Aucoin was due to step down next month, with Sawyer, deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet and a submariner by trade, already slated to suc...
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