The Navy cites a "lack of leadership" as one of the reasons for the grounding of the USS Guardian near the Philippines on January 17, 2013.
In the 160-page investigation report, Adm. Cecil D. Haney, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, writes:
"USS Guardian leadership and watch teams failed to adhere to prudent, safe, and sound navigation principles which would have alerted them to approaching dangers with sufficient time to take mitigating action."
As Home Post previously reported, the Navy in April relieved four USS Guardian officers as a consequence of the grounding.
Commanding officer Lt. Cmdr. Mark Rice, the executive officer and navigator, the assistant navigator, and the officer of the deck were all relieved of their duties. They could still be subject to further administration action, according to a Navy news release.
A little background: the Guardian ran aground on the environmentally-sensitive Tubbataha Reef the morning of January 17 while transiting the Sulu Sea, approximately 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan Island. The Navy determined the ship was "beyond economical repair" - and salvage crews cut the Guardian into pieces to safely remove it from the reef.
The crew of the USS Guardian has a new ship - the USS Warrior, formerly homeported in San Diego.
Below I've posted video of the salvage crew removing the bow of the Guardian as the ship was removed, in pieces, from Tubbataha Reef in March 2013:
