Singapore Investigation Blames USS John S McCain’s Crew for Deadly Collision With Merchant Ship

A Singapore Ministry of Transportation Investigation has blamed crew of the US Navy Ship, John S McCain for a deadly collision with a merchant ship, Alnic MC in Singapore Strait that killed ten US Sailors in August 2017.

The report which was released yesterday said,“the safety investigation determined that the USS John S McCain made a sudden turn to Port (left) into the path of Alnic MC because of a series of missteps that took place after propulsion controls were transferred.”

The report said, in the pre-dawn hours of 21 August 2017, the Liberian-registered Alnic MC and the US Naval vessel USS John S McCain collided in the westbound lane of the Singapore Strait, in Singapore territorial waters about 4.6 nautical miles (nm) from Horsburgh Lighthouse. The collision resulted in 10 fatalities on the USS John S McCain.

When the Bridge team of Alnic MC saw the USS John S McCain turning, it presumed that the USS John S McCain would be able to safely pass ahead, the report said.

The collision happened within three minutes of the USS John S McCain turning to Port, and the actions taken by Alnic MC were insufficient to avoid the collision, it added.