The U.S. Navy on Wednesday relieved the commander of the Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture-based 7th Fleet after two fatal collisions between destroyers and civilian vessels in Asian waters in less than three months.
Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the three-star commander of the fleet, was removed "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command," the navy said, after the two collisions and two other incidents involving the fleet's vessels.
The head of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Scott Swift, relieved Aucoin of his command. Swift had been scheduled to meet with 7th Fleet leaders in Yokosuka.