One of the Navy ships involved in the series of collisions in the western Pacific last year departed for another deployment Thursday.
The senior officers were disciplined after the USS Lake Champlain hit a fishing boat off the Korean Peninsula last May. No one was injured but this was one of four ship accidents that happened in 2017 in the Pacific. Collisions involving the USS Fitzgerald and USS McCain led to the death of the 17 sailors.
RELATED: Navy Veterans Look Beyond The Crews For Cause Of Collisions
Petty Officer First Class Freddie Medina was with the ship last May. He was back on board for a second deployment.
“There have been a few changes, hopefully for the better," Medina said.
The report blamed the watch standers as well as a lack of training and failure to adhere to navigational standards. The ship has since changed captains.
The Lake Champlain is part of the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group. The carrier, with nearly 5,000 people on board, is scheduled to leave Friday. It's the third deployment for San Diego-based strike group in four years.
The USS Lake Champlain was going back to sea after less than six months.
Lt. Commander Rebecca Adams was seeing her husband off.
“I know what he’s going to be doing so it’s less mysterious," she said while holding her 2-year-old daughter. "But the hardest part is watching her change and learn and grow and him not around for it.”
The ship, along with the rest of the carrier strike group, is returning to the western Pacific.
