Your post and the one about a young Nimitz reminds me of the submarine that hit an uncharted undersea mount a few years ago and sustaining extensive damage—and they blamed the sub captain for the accident. The Navy high command seem to be a bunch of cannibals that gobble up good officers and men which is a disservice to our country and the navy.
The higher leadership has a lot of power, and as Lord Acton said, Power Corrupts. And watching the asses of high officers being enthusiastically kissed I see where absolute power corrupts absolutely.
As someone pointed out here, the Navy takes the handling of its ships quite seriously; the skipper is always going to be called to account in the event of a loss.
In the case of the submarine, obviously, the only other party was an inanimate piece of terrain that rose up from the sea floor. In the case of McVay, he was on a combat ship operating in a war zone; the loss of a ship to enemy fire could hardly be held against him.