SECNAV Censures Retired Marine General, Navy Officers Over 2020 Fatal AAV Sinking

[Tony]

The Navy’s top civilian leader issued formal administrative punishments to five senior officers for their part in the fatal 2020 sinking of a Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicle that killed eight Marines and a Navy corpsman, officials confirmed Monday.

The action by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, who became secretary in August 2021, is the latest fallout from the July 30, 2020 mishap that later led to the firings of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, leaders. Three separate investigations found a “chain of failure” at nearly every level of command that included failures to enforce or ignorance of safety protocols and standard operating procedures for shipboard and waterborne operations.