Renewed Safety Focus For US Fleet

ABOARD THE USS NIMITZ (AP) -- The deaths of sailors aboard the USS John S. McCain have had an impact around the American fleet, and commanders want to make sure such an accident doesn't happen again.

Ten sailors aboard the McCain were declared missing after their ship crashed into an oil tanker in coastal waters off Singapore. In June, seven sailors died when another destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, hit a container ship off Japan.

The top U.S. Navy officer, Adm. John Richardson, has ordered that ships around the world stop and retrain, relearn and focus on proper procedures and safety precautions to prevent more collisions or mishaps.

For the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, a pause is not simple. But its executive officer, Cdr. Dave Kurtz, says it's important to do it.

(KA)