Most naval ships of this size have an at-sea cabin for the captain located on the bridge -- a mere three steps away from the wheel. What was this captain doing asleep in his luxurious in-port stateroom located below decks while at sea? This is enough reason to court martial the captain and permanently end his career.
Any captain whose ship rams a slow freighter traveling in a straight line is not going to get any type of exception.
The Navy has suffered some serious embarrassments from the Fat Leonard scandal, where senior officers sold out confidential port call information for call girls, fancy dinners etc. Now this. I don't know the details of this or normal procedure, but wouldn't you expect the captain to be on the bridge at night while traversing heavily trafficked sea lanes?
From what I read, and from the damage (the side of the ship), it was the freighter that hit the naval vessel.
A freighter with the right of way coming from your starboard side traveling in a straight line at a slow speed in clear weather hits your U.S. naval vessel. Yes, the captain's career is over.
It's a good thing we've got you to tell us who's fault it is and what happened. Cancel the board of review, cancel the investigation. Shoot that son-of-a-bitch captain! Twice!
"While the cause of the accident has yet to be determined, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said the ACX Crystal had made a sharp turn shortly before the collision." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/16/us-navy-destroyer-collides-ship-japan