The US Navy has filed military criminal charges against the former commanding officers of two US warships, after collisions in Asia last year left 17 sailors dead.

In June, the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald crashed into a Philippines container ship.

In August, the USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker near Singapore, leaving a huge hole in the side of that destroyer.

The commanding officers of both vessels will be court-martialed.

They and three others face a mix of charges including dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel and negligent homicide.

The collisions raised questions last year about Navy training and the speed of its operations.

They sparked a Congressional hearing and the removal of several officers including the commander of the Seventh Fleet, based in Japan and South Korea.

This marks the latest effort to address the causes behind the collisions, investigations found both accidents came down to human error by sailors on the ships and no single person could be blamed.

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