US axes captain of nuclear ship bound for Japan

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

TOKYO (AFP) — The US Navy has fired the captain of the first US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be stationed abroad after a fire onboard hurt dozens of sailors and raised alarm in host Japan.

The USS George Washington is set to arrive in late September in Yokosuka, a naval hub near Tokyo, despite public protests in the only nation to have suffered nuclear attack.

The US Navy, releasing details of an investigation, said that a fire in May was caused when people smoked near improperly stored flammable liquids.

A Navy statement on Wednesday said it was relieving Captain David C. Dykhof as commanding officer due to "a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards."

One sailor...