Officer of the deck during fatal Fitzgerald collision pleads guilty at court-martial

[Eugene]

Source: Navy Times

Officer of the deck during fatal Fitzgerald collision pleads guilty at court-martial

By: Geoff Ziezulewicz   18 hours ago

A junior officer who oversaw navigation of the destroyer Fitzgerald when it collided with a hulking merchant vessel on June 17, killing seven sailors, pleaded guilty to a dereliction of duty charge during a special court-martial Tuesday.

Lt. j.g. Sarah Coppock received a punitive letter and will forfeit half a month’s pay for three months as part of her sentence, according to a Navy statement.

“The Navy will not accept complacency, negligence, or other behaviors contrary to its core values,” the release states.

As part of her pretrial agreement, Coppock waived her right to an administrative discharge board, where a panel would have decided whether she would stay in the Navy or not.

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Read more: https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/05/08/officer-of-the-deck-during-fatal-fitzgerald-collision-pleads-guilty-at-court-martial/

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1. Scapegoat.