Story highlights Richardson said "at the core, this issue is about leadership, especially command"

The Navy has launched multiple investigations, a safety pause, and reviews in the wake of the recent accidents

(CNN) The secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer acknowledged Tuesday that a failure of leadership as well as a lack of resources had contributed to the deaths of 17 sailors this year and said the Navy faces a range of challenges with regards to the safety of its ships.

"We have a problem in the Navy and we are going to fix it," Spencer told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on recent naval incidents at sea, including collisions involving the USS Fitzgerald and the John S. McCain.

Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson faced a grilling from senators, including the committee's chairman, Sen. John McCain, who is the grandson and son of the John S. McCain's namesake.

"It's simply unacceptable for US Navy ships to run aground or collide with other ships, and to have four such incidents in the span of seven months is truly alarming," McCain said in his opening statement.

"How in the world does a billion-dollar destroyer not know that there is a freighter closing in on it? I don't understand how this could possibly happen and I've talked to Maine lobstermen -- they're scratching their heads, they can tell when there's a flock of seagulls are off there bow," Maine Independent Sen. Angus King asked the witnesses, questioning why the ships' radars or on-board lookouts/watch crews were unable to detect the civilian ships.

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