The U.S. Navy plans to relieve the commander of the fleet that experienced four major collisions in Asian waters this year, resulting in the deaths of several sailors, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, which oversees naval operations in the Asia-Pacific, is set to be dismissed Wednesday after the high-profile collisions.
The move comes less than a week after the Navy announced a rare pause in operations for a fleetwide safety review following the pre-dawn collision of a guided-missile destroyer and an oil tanker that left 10 sailors missing near Singapore.
There had been no finding of fault against Aucoin because the Navy is in the midst of an exhaustive review on the cause of the deadly incidents.
The dismissal was first announced by the Wall Street Journal.
