WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. military aircraft with 11 on board has crashed into the ocean near Okinawa, Japan, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday in a statement.
The crash adds to the series of mishaps suffered by the Seventh Fleet this year, which a U.S. government report has blamed on undertrained personnel.
Below is a summary of all the mishaps sustained by the Seventh Fleet this year.
On Jan. 31, U.S. Ship (USS) Antietam ran aground near the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, damaging its propellers and spilling 1,100 gallons of oil in the water. No one was injured. A probe found the ship's captain Joseph Carrian "ultimately responsible."
On May 9, guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing boat in the Sea of Japan. No one was injured.
On June 17, destroyer USS Fitzgerald was rammed by a Philippine-flagged container ship near Yokosuka. The incident took place in the middle of the night, when the crew were mostly asleep, causing seven deaths and considerable damage to the destroyer. The U.S. Navy later fired the ship's commanding officer, executive officer and senior enlisted sailor for alleged mistakes that caused the crash.
On Aug. 21, destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a commercial vessel near the Strait of Malacca, causing the death of 10 U.S. sailors.The destroyer was en route to the Port of Singapore when the incident happened. USS McCain sustained significant damage to its hull and had to undergo repairing in Yokosuka. Initial investigation reports suggested confusion at the steering wheel as the helmsman assessed the direction of the ship wrong.
On Nov. 18, guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold collided with a Japanese commercial tugboat in Japan's Sagami Bay, causing minimal damage and no injury. The tugboat had reportedly lost propulsion and drifted into the U.S. warship during a towing exercise.
