{"id":41746,"date":"2018-05-17T20:36:24","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T20:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/05\/17\/us-navy-still-living-with-the-effects-of-collisions-even-as-it-adds-milius-to-7th-fleet\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:15:12","slug":"us-navy-still-living-with-the-effects-of-collisions-even-as-it-adds-milius-to-7th-fleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2018\/05\/17\/us-navy-still-living-with-the-effects-of-collisions-even-as-it-adds-milius-to-7th-fleet\/","title":{"rendered":"US Navy still haunted by collisions, even as it adds Milius to 7th Fleet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Nearly a year after the destroyer Fitzgerald\u2019s collision with a container ship killed seven of sailors, wrecked its superstructure and punched a hole in its hull, that accident continues to have an impact on the Navy<\/a>\u2019s presence in Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this week\u2019s arrival of the destroyer Milius, the U.S. Navy\u2019s Japan-based surface fleet <\/a>is back up to its pre-accidents strength of 11 cruisers and destroyers. But Milius was supposed to plus up the force to 12 surface combatants; instead it will serve as a replacement for Fitzgerald, something Navy leaders say they have no plans to change in the immediate future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means that added capacity destined for the Navy\u2019s CRUDES hub at Yokosuka will have to wait as the service continues to try to meet demands and implement a rotational presence model known as Optimized Fleet Response Plan\u2014Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe perturbations of these accidents will be felt for some time,\u201d said Thomas Callendar, a retired submariner and analyst with The Heritage Foundation. \u201cEspecially when you consider the time it will take to get the ships fixed, you have to shift around assets and maintenance times in the Pacific Fleet to meet demands.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\t