United States Navy
US naval service; its 7th Fleet is based in the Indo-Pacific
- Entries
- 10
- On the record
- 3
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Nov 6, 2026
The record
The Navy's own public record over the past decade is built from accident reports, a court-martial and a federal bribery prosecution. The bribery case centered on Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian former president of the Singapore-based contractor Glenn Defense Marine Asia, who pleaded guilty in 2015. Prosecutors said the scheme let him bilk the Navy out of at least $35 million, and in November 2024 a federal judge sentenced him to 15 years and ordered $20 million in restitution to the Navy.
At sea, the National Transportation Safety Board found that the August 2017 collision between the destroyer John S McCain and the Liberian-flagged tanker Alnic MC in the Singapore Strait, which killed 10 sailors and injured 48, was caused by a lack of effective operational oversight of the destroyer by the Navy, which resulted in insufficient training and inadequate bridge operating procedures. The board issued seven safety recommendations to the Navy.
In port, a July 2020 fire aboard the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in San Diego led the Navy to scrap the ship. Its investigation said the ship was lost because the fire could not be extinguished, and named 36 people, including five admirals, as responsible. The junior sailor charged with setting the fire was acquitted of arson and hazarding a vessel by a military judge in September 2022.
Roles and honours on the record
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
Navy training command confirmed to the Pensacola News Journal that Blue Angel #6 was removed from the team. Navy removes Blue Angels pilot Scott Laux over 'standards'
- Reported
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao posted 'No reprimands. No firings. No problem.' after a debrief of the Pensacola Beach flyover, Navy Times reports. Navy removes Blue Angels pilot Scott Laux over 'standards'
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 2015 Admitted Leonard Glenn Francis and his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States. USNI News report
- 2017-08-21 Official The destroyer John S McCain collided with the tanker Alnic MC in the Singapore Strait after a perceived loss of steering; 10 McCain sailors died, 48 were injured and the ship sustained over $100 million in damage. NTSB marine accident report MAR-19/01
- 2019-06-19 Official The NTSB adopted its report finding the probable cause was a lack of effective operational oversight of the destroyer by the US Navy, which resulted in insufficient training and inadequate bridge operating procedures. NTSB marine accident report MAR-19/01
- 2021-10-19 Reported The Navy's investigation into the July 2020 Bonhomme Richard fire found the ship was lost because the fire could not be extinguished, and named 36 people, including five admirals, as responsible. USNI News report
- 2022-09-04 Reported Francis cut off his GPS ankle monitor and fled home detention in San Diego weeks before his scheduled sentencing. USNI News report
- 2022-09-30 Ruled A military judge acquitted the sailor charged with arson and willful hazarding of a vessel over the Bonhomme Richard fire; he had denied any involvement. Times of San Diego report
- 2023-12 Reported Francis, arrested in Venezuela in 2022, was returned to the United States in a prisoner exchange that freed 10 American detainees. Associated Press via Navy Times
- 2024-11-05 Ruled Francis was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay the Navy $20 million in restitution and a $150,000 fine, and to forfeit $35 million. USNI News report