Japan safety board backs Navy’s findings on cause of deadly USS Fitzgerald collision

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The Japanese government has issued its report on the fatal USS Fitzgerald collision, more than two years after the destroyer ran into a commercial container ship.

Released Thursday, the Japan Transport Safety Board’s findings echo a U.S. Navy report from late 2017 saying the accident was “preventable” and that the destroyer’s watch standers contributed to the incident.

Seven Fitzgerald sailors were killed June 17, 2017, when the destroyer ran into the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal about 60 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, where the warship is based.

“It is somewhat likely that USS FITZGERALD … was not properly on the lookout for ACX CRYSTAL,” Japan’s report said.

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