The U.S. Navy has fired the captain of a destroyer after a persistent steering problem led to a near-collision in the Middle East

• The U.S. Navy said it fired a warship captain last month due to a “loss of confidence” in his ability to lead.

• An investigation shows he was dismissed from his command after his destroyer nearly crashed in the Middle East.

• The report shows that the Navy failed to address a known steering problem with the ship, which later led to the incident.

The US Navy has fired the captain of a deployed warship after an unresolved leadership issue led to a near-miss in the Middle East, according to a command investigation reviewed by Business Insider.

Commander of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group last week relieved Commander Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John S. McCain, of his command because of what the Navy called “a loss of confidence” in his ability to lead.

Earlier reports of Yaste’s firing cited a viral photo showing the captain holding a rifle with the scope mounted upside down. But the command’s investigation said Yaste was relieved after the McCain lost steering during a July refueling that damaged a Navy tanker.

The August investigation into the loss of steering found that Yaste and his crew made mistakes that may have contributed to the incident, such as poor maintenance and failure to follow established procedures.

The investigation also found that the Navy failed to address a steering problem that had stymied its own technical experts a month before the incident. The steering problems occurred so regularly that the ship’s crew appeared to eventually overlook their potential seriousness, the investigation said.

The steering problem occurred at a dangerous moment, as the McCain was tied to a supply ship for refueling.

A Navy spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation, saying it was ongoing. BI was unable to obtain comment from Yaste for this article.

A persistent steering problem

The McCain deployed from its home port in March and arrived in the Middle East the following month, where it joined other U.S. warships tasked with defending against Iranian-backed hostilities, including the Houthis’ relentless attacks on merchant shipping.

Yaste’s career had been built around this mission. The career surface warfare officer had previously served as McCain’s executive officer and assumed command in late 2023, about five months before the deployment.

According to the results of the investigation available to BI, the McCain suffered several losses of steering. These losses were caused by the uncontrolled movement of the hydraulic power units that control one of its two rudders.

After the destroyer lost control of its steering in April, McCain sent out a casualty report, or CASREP, asking technical experts to visit the ship. Those experts tried to troubleshoot the warship while it was docked in Bahrain in June.

McCain executives requested to go to sea to fix these problems, but the technical staff was not funded or allowed to go to sea with the destroyer. The warship left Bahrain in early July and immediately experienced the same problems.

The McCain issued another investigation report on the recurring problems. Steering problems can become particularly serious if they involve a stuck or inoperative rudder in close proximity to another vessel or in shallow water. The ship received remote assistance over the next few days, but the results of those efforts were ultimately inconclusive, according to the investigation.

The stricken destroyer remained at sea, and the command’s investigation found there was no evidence that any significant recovery efforts took place after July 9.

The investigation found that the McCain experienced a total of 18 steering system problems between May 17 and July 20, when the destroyer refueled at sea.

The command investigation attributed the recurring steering problems to improper maintenance practices by the crew, although it acknowledged that no single problem could be identified as the source of the problem.

The crew brought the steering problem to attention through several CASREPs they issued, indicating that the problem was beyond the crew’s capabilities.

It is unclear whether the crew ever received a response from the Navy that would effectively address the ship’s problems.

Restocking gone wrong

On July 20, the McCain pulled alongside the supply tanker USNS Big Horn in the northern Arabian Sea and connected for a replenishment at sea, where the ship received fuel via a cable strung between two vessels that are typically less than 200 feet apart.

While refueling, the destroyer encountered a serious problem. One of the two hydraulic units that controlled the starboard rudder began to spit oil, and engineers rushed to repair it.

Minutes passed. The monitoring team decided to switch to the backup HPUs, but the system failed. The control remained locked, with the unit “squirting” hydraulic oil, as one crew member reported. Engineers attempted to refill the HPU, but it ran out of oil and shut down. Still, the backup HPU failed to take over.

On the bridge, where the watchmen were standing at the helm to stay alongside the tanker, a crew member noticed an alarming sign: the starboard rudder was jammed.

In response, the commander ordered an emergency departure, which damaged some of the Big Horn’s equipment and temporarily rendered one of its refueling platforms inoperable. No personnel were injured on either ship.

The August command investigation found that McCain crew members made a variety of mistakes, including failing to follow loss-of-steering procedures and failing to communicate adequately between control stations.

The investigation blamed Yaste for his handling of the refueling, in part because he spent 10 minutes alongside the refueling tanker trying to fix steering problems before fleeing. The investigation also heavily criticized other senior officers, including the second in command and the chief engineer.

The investigation’s findings also suggest that the McCain faced challenges well before the refueling. In particular, it appears that the captain and crew had to deal with a disabled ship for months, forcing them to operate outside normal conditions.

Command investigators concluded that the failure of technical experts to put the McCain to sea prevented the pilotage problem from being resolved. They also said that onboard support at sea was the appropriate response and was warranted as early as July 3, the day after the destroyer left Bahrain.

Ten days after the July 20 incident, McCain entered a port in the United Arab Emirates for a brief refueling stop and issued another CASREP for steering problems. Engineering representatives who went to the port to examine the ship discovered multiple problems that needed to be addressed. The destroyer continued to experience steering problems through mid-August.

The Navy has not publicly disclosed what happened with the McCain or acknowledged any leadership problems during the deployment.

On Aug. 30, the Navy released a brief statement saying Yaste had been relieved of his duties as McCain’s commanding officer “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer.” The Navy service said “this has no impact on the ship’s mission or schedule,” without elaborating.

Read the original article on Business Insider