US House panel to hold hearing on Navy warship collisions

The United States House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the slew of deadly warship collisions which have been taking place lately, when Congress returns from the summer recess.

"The September 7 hearing will feature testimony from Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, commander of Naval Surface Forces, and John Pendleton, director of defense force structure and readiness issues at the Government Accountability Office," reported the Hill quoting, the committee press release.

On Monday, Navy destroyer John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore. 10 sailors were reported missing, but officials confirmed on Tuesday that Navy divers had found the remains of some sailors in a flooded compartment.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told that an inquiry into the collision had already begun. "We obviously have an investigation underway and that will determine what happened," he said.

In June, seven sailors died when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

The Armed Services hearing will look at readiness issues as an underlying cause of the crashes, according to its title, "Navy Readiness - Underlying Problems Associated with the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain.