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ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has relieved a submarine commander in connection with a mishap earlier this month between the USS Newport News and a Japanese ship, the Navy announced Monday.

On Jan. 8, the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine’s bow ran into the stern of the Japanese oil tanker Mogamigawa while the two vessels were in the Strait of Hormuz. No sailors aboard either vessel were injured in the incident.

Preliminary findings suggest that the submarine might have been sucked into the tanker by the tanker’s high speed, a phenomenon known as the “venturi effect,” according to the Navy.

As a result of the incident, Cmdr. Matthew A. Weingart has been relieved of command “due to lack of confidence in his ability to command,” a Navy news release says.

Capt. Norman B. Moore has temporarily assumed command of the Newport News, the news release says.

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