Although we don't have complete evidence, based upon the limited amount available, I agree with your conclusion, Thor.
"They failed to keep proper lookouts, lacked trained mariners on the bridge in congested waters, never communicated with the McCain and at no time sounded a danger signal, veered away from the warship or followed the international rules of maritime transit,"
The above quoted charge by the Navy against the shipping company is just as likely to be true against the Navy. Had the Naval charges been paying attention, they had the more agile ship and their watch should have seen the much larger tanker sooner than the tanker watch saw them. Based on limited data, the naval ship had the better chance to avoid the collision, but it appears the Naval personnel were negligent.
(Just like Hitlery with the server and the BATF and FBI at Waco and a host of other cases of government incompetence that gets overlooked.)
As for the sailor's legal suits, they are barking up the wrong money tree.

In order to appear more politically correct, the Navy has been advancing female and minority individuals more quickly than is prudent for safety and effectiveness.

Check your premises. From the cited article:
"The case began in February, when Energetic Tank’s attorneys filed a motion that sought to exonerate or limit the company’s liability in the fatal disaster. The pre-emptive move was designed to buffer the company against claims that had not yet been filed, according to court records. Two months later, the U.S. government sued, asserting that Alnic’s owners knew about the deficiencies aboard the tanker.”
Further, the US Navy prosecuted the commanding officer of USS McCain, CDR Sanchez, who pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty, was reduced in rank to LCDR, fined $2000 per month for 3 months, and was required to retire. To some, it might seem the punishment doesn’t fit the crime (of negligence). To others, we debate accountability and responsibility of a ship’s commanding officer given the gross stupidity, laziness, and negligence of the watch standers who directly caused the collision. The commanding officer is thus held accountable for all actions, thoughts, deeds, and even crimes of those employed to accomplish a mission safely and successfully, even in harm’s way. Was he in fact grossly incompetent? Where is the fraud with intent to deceive?
I read the abstract by “Thoritsu” and I read the entire Navy Times article. I find the abstract to be biased and inflammatory. Completely pathetic USN behavior???
Yes, incompetence, irresponsibility, but fraud? Certainly not a cover up. More to the point, it might be taken as an indictment of the legal entanglements of the blame game with long-reaching impacts on taxpayers who foot the bill for extraordinary medical costs and those for repairs to the ships.
Perhaps one should look to the “fraud” perpetuated on the American public by years of mismanaged appropriations, exorbitant prices, and the bilking of the taxpayer by the acquisition system which favors public policy over the right item at the right price at the right time. And yes, mention the collapse of education and training and leadership.

It remindes me of the old jke about athe lighthouse and the aircraft carrier.
"Carrier sents message to lighted object bearing XXX fromme. Please change course. you are on collision course with us.
Reply: You must change course to avoid collision.
Carrier: This is Adm Jones. Change corse Nw the is USN 767 and aircraft carrier.
Reply: This is Coastguards Ensign Murphy in charge of Lighthouse Able. Change Course now.

You get the drift of what is meant by the joke. It is what is maneuverable and what isn't Not sure an Oil tanker = Light house but the effect is nearly the same.
There are truly some idiots driving ships. (yes I know you don't really drive a ship, but you should see some captains try.

My dad relayed an old story years ago about a navy nuclear accident. Uh...did I mention that "the navy doesn't have nuclear accidents"?

The article fails to mention the training of the crew of the Alnic. Almost all of the commercial vessels are foreign crewed. Many have European officers commanding third world country deck crews. Like US maritime officers, European officers would have gone through some type of land-based schooling then sea training. Third world deck has no such training.

Well, when you read the findings, there was a lot of damning evidence against the crew of the Navy ship, and there was some neglegince on the part of the civilian ship. My take is about an 80-20 split, with the Navy getting the most. However, no real mention was made of the state of the military BHO left, the fact that upper management (officers) are more interested in their advancement, vice the ship and crew, and that the whole Pac Fleet training program was essentially non existent. Of course you had a ship that had a weapons system to kill multiple targets and track and identify them, and they could not decide that a 0 bearing rate contact was a threat in time to avoid. The OOD was a real piece of work, he neglected to call the Captain, despite standing orders to do so, the enlisted people failed to scream and shout that they were going to get run over. I saw in the early 90's (before I left the zoo the military was becoming) that we were getting officers who were less intelligent than some of the enlisted men I worked with, and also had no common sense. Many times I had to go to control as a sonar supervisor to explain to the OOD just what was really up. I was able to bring a Trident to periscope depth in the midst of a large fishing trawler group, because we had to send a message, and the Captain was on the conn, we did a few maneouvers to get bearing rates on contacts, and he jibbed me because I called the nearest boat at 3000 yds and he saw it at 2500 and took a radar bearing to it, and it was at 2725. He just said, "You need to practice with the widget more" and grinned at me. (The widget was a bearing rate slide rule that cost about 12.00 from supply and did as good a job of solving for course, speed and range as a multi million dollar fire control system). These guys should have had ample time and information, but they were also dead on their feet, and things like this happen when you do not have a unified crew from top to bottom, all working together for the ship. The Navy made the mess, and of course can get away with it, just like government does. These lawsuits are just part of the legalistic social order that has been created to enrich lawyers at everyone's expense. This will go on for years and they will settle for 25K apiece if they are lucky and the lawyers will take 80% of that....