Investigators have determined that a U.S. aircraft carrier fired missiles at a Turkish ship, killing five people, because sailors mistook a drill for a real attack, a newspaper reported Thursday.
The USS Saratoga fired two Sea Sparrow missiles at the destroyer Muavenet during a NATO exercise Oct. 1 in the Aegean Sea.Investigators determined that sailors awakened for a midnight drill thought the carrier was under attack and fired, The Virginian-Pilot said, citing a Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The finding is the result of a just-completed investigation by three Navy admirals accompanied by a Turkish officer, the newspaper said. The report has been forwarded to the Pentagon, it said.
Navy spokesmen in Washington were not available to comment on the report early Thursday.