USS Fitzgerald

The Vessel

The USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) was an American Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer of the United States Navy, built at the Bath Iron Works yard at Bath, Maine between 1993 and 1995 and commissioned on 14 October 1995. She was 154 metres long, 8,315 tons displacement, and armed with 90 vertical-launch-system missile cells, one 127mm primary gun, two Phalanx close-in weapon systems, and six torpedo tubes. Her propulsion comprised four gas-turbine engines producing approximately 100,000 horsepower.

The Arleigh Burke class was the principal US Navy destroyer class of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries; Fitzgerald was the 12th ship of the class. Her specific operational role in 2017 was as part of the US 7th Fleet's Destroyer Squadron 15, based at Yokosuka, Japan. Her specific mission was forward-deployed defence of the Western Pacific and Japanese territorial waters.

Her master on her final voyage was Commander Bryce Benson, 40, a career US Navy officer. Her complement on 17 June 2017 was approximately 320 officers and enlisted personnel.

The Voyage

On 17 June 2017, the USS Fitzgerald was conducting routine operations in the waters south of Tokyo Bay, Japan. The specific operations included standard Pacific Fleet patrols and transit between US naval facilities.

At approximately 01:30 on 17 June 2017, Fitzgerald was proceeding at approximately 20 knots on a course through the shipping lanes southwest of Tokyo Bay. The specific area was one of the busiest commercial shipping areas in the world; approximately 500-700 commercial vessels transit the area daily.

The specific other vessel relevant to the incident was the Philippine-flagged container ship ACX Crystal, a 223-metre, 29,060-deadweight-ton container ship on a scheduled transit from Nagoya, Japan to Tokyo, Japan. The specific ACX Crystal was on a northwesterly course; Fitzgerald was on an approximately westerly course.

The specific critical navigational situation involved the management of the crossing-traffic configuration. Under COLREGS (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea), the specific give-way responsibilities are determined by the specific relative positions of the vessels. The specific situation required careful coordination; the specific conditions (nighttime, heavy commercial traffic) complicated the navigational coordination.

The Disaster

At approximately 01:30 on 17 June 2017, the USS Fitzgerald and the ACX Crystal collided in Japanese coastal waters approximately 100 kilometres southwest of Yokosuka, Japan. The specific collision was substantially the fault of both vessels: Fitzgerald's bridge watch had failed to maintain adequate awareness of the surrounding traffic; ACX Crystal's bridge watch had also failed to properly coordinate.

The specific collision damage to Fitzgerald was substantial. The ACX Crystal's bow struck Fitzgerald's starboard side amidships, penetrating the destroyer's hull approximately 4 metres; the specific impact location was at the crew berthing spaces; seven crew members were killed immediately or trapped in the flooded spaces.

Progressive flooding of the destroyer's damaged compartments was substantial; the ship's damage-control teams conducted immediate emergency procedures. Over approximately 4 hours, the specific damage control efforts progressively stabilised the ship's condition; the specific emergency evacuation procedures were initiated for the injured crew.

USS Fitzgerald did not sink; she remained afloat and was eventually escorted to Yokosuka, Japan for emergency repairs. Her specific structural damage was substantial but not catastrophic.

Seven US Navy crew members died in the specific collision: all killed either by the direct impact or trapped in the flooded berthing spaces. Commander Benson was injured but survived.

The Legacy

The USS Fitzgerald collision of 17 June 2017 was the first of two major US Navy destroyer collisions in 2017 (the USS John S. McCain collision occurred on 21 August 2017). The specific combination of these incidents produced a comprehensive US Navy review of Pacific Fleet operations.

The subsequent US Navy investigation, conducted through 2017 and 2018, identified a systematic pattern of failures: (i) the specific inadequate bridge watch procedures aboard Fitzgerald; (ii) the specific inadequate training of the bridge crew; (iii) the specific fatigue and overwork among the destroyer's personnel; (iv) the specific systematic failures of the US 7th Fleet's operational tempo that had compromised crew training and readiness; (v) the specific inadequate supervision by senior officers.

The specific institutional response by the US Navy was substantial. Multiple senior officers were relieved of command; the specific 7th Fleet commander Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin was relieved of command in August 2017. Captain Benson was subsequently court-martialled on dereliction-of-duty charges; the specific charges were eventually dismissed in 2018. Specific disciplinary actions were taken against multiple other officers.

The specific operational reforms by the US Navy were extensive. The US 7th Fleet operational tempo was reduced; specific crew-training and readiness standards were enhanced; specific bridge-watch procedures were modernised; specific navigational-safety systems were enhanced.

The specific ship Fitzgerald was towed to the Ingalls Shipbuilding yard at Pascagoula, Mississippi, for comprehensive repair. The specific repair operation took approximately 2 years (2017-2020) and cost approximately 367 million US dollars. The ship returned to active US Navy service in 2020.

The specific seven dead US Navy crew members have been commemorated by the Fitzgerald Memorial at the US Navy Memorial, Washington DC (dedicated 2018), and by individual memorials at their home communities across the United States. The specific 17 June annual commemoration is conducted at the Navy Memorial and at the Bath Iron Works yard where the ship was built.