Washington, Jun 20 (IANS): US Navy has relieved a warship commander of his command after the warship collided with an oil tanker, an official said Tuesday.
Chuck Litchfield, captain of amphibious assault ship Essex was fired Monday by Rear Adm. Gerard Hueber, who heads Expeditionary Strike Group 3, due to a "loss of confidence in his ability to command," said Tamsen Reese, a naval spokeswoman in Coronado.
Litchfield was commanding the Essex May 16 when it collided with the replenishment oiler Yukon a day before both ships returned to San Diego, California, Xinhua reported.
"There were a number of factors that contributed to the collision with Yukon. Part of it began with the loss of rudder control. There was a breakdown in command and control, in bridge resource management and in communication between the two ships... All those factors contributed to the collision," the Navy Times quoted Reese as saying.