Seven sailors missing after U.S. Navy
destroyer collides with container ship in Japan
Send a link to a friend
[June 17, 2017]
By Toru Hanai and Megumi Lim
YOKOSUKA, Japan (Reuters) - U.S. Navy
destroyer USS Fitzgerald sailed back to its base in Yokosuka, with seven
of its sailors still missing after it collided with a Philippine-flagged
container ship more than three times its size in eastern Japan early on
Saturday.
The Fitzgerald, an Aegis guided missile destroyer, collided with the
merchant vessel at about 2:30 a.m. local time (1730 GMT), some 56
nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, the Navy said.
Three aboard the destroyer had been medically evacuated to the U.S.
Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, including the ship's commanding officer,
Cmdr. Bryce Benson, who was reported to be in stable condition, the Navy
said. The other two were being treated for lacerations and bruises,
while other injured were being assessed aboard the ship, it said.
Search and rescue efforts by U.S. and Japanese aircraft and surface
vessels were continuing for the seven missing sailors, the Navy said.
Their names are being withheld until the families have been notified, it
said.
Benson took command of the Fitzgerald on May 13. He had previously
commanded a minesweeper based in Sasebo in western Japan.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jun/17/images/ads/current/cca_laptop-sda021709.png)
UNCLEAR WHAT HAPPENED
It was unclear how the collision happened. "Once an investigation is
complete then any legal issues can be addressed," the 7th Fleet
spokesman said.
The Fitzgerald suffered damage on her starboard side above and below the
waterline, causing "significant damage" and flooding to two berthing
spaces and other areas of the ship, the Navy said. The flooding was
later stabilized, but it was uncertain how long it would take to gain
access to those spaces once the ship is docked, to continue the search
for the missing, it said.
Back in Yokosuka, divers will inspect the damage and develop a plan for
repairs, the Navy said.
The ship was able to operate under its own power with limited
propulsion, the Navy said. The Japanese Coast Guard said separately the
Fitzgerald was towed back to Yokosuka by a tugboat at about 3 knots.
Part of an eight-ship squadron based in Yokosuka, the Fitzgerald had in
February completed $21 million worth of upgrades and repairs.
Japan's Nippon Yusen KK, which charters the container ship, ASX Crystal,
said in a statement it would "cooperate fully" with the Coast Guard's
investigation of the incident. At around 29,000 tons displacement, the
ship dwarfs the 8,315-ton U.S. warship, and was carrying 1,080
containers from the port of Nagoya to Tokyo.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/061717pics/news_L23.jpg)
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald,
damaged by colliding with a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel, is
towed by tugboats upon its arrival at the U.S. naval base in
Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Japan June 17, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
![](../images/ads/current/richardson_lda_060817.png)
None of the 20 crew members aboard the container ship, all Filipino,
were injured, and the ship was not leaking oil, Nippon Yusen said.
The ship arrived at Tokyo Bay around 5:00 p.m. (0800 GMT), sailing
under its own power, the Coast Guard said.
BUSY WATERWAYS
The waterways approaching Tokyo Bay are busy with commercial vessels
sailing to and from Japan’s two biggest container ports in Tokyo and
Yokohama.
International maritime rules for collision avoidance do not define
right of way for any one vessel, but provide common standards for
signaling between ships, as well as regulations on posting lookouts.
Japan's public broadcaster NHK showed aerial footage of the
Fitzgerald, which had a large dent on its right, or starboard, side.
Images broadcast by NHK showed it had been struck next to its Aegis
radar arrays behind the vertical launch tubes.
Such incidents are rare.
In May, the U.S. Navy's USS Lake Champlain collided with a South
Korean fishing vessel but both ships were able to operate under
their own power.
The 7th Fleet commander, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, thanked the
Japanese Coast guard in a post on the fleet's Facebook page, adding:
"We are committed to ensuring the safe return of the ship to port in
Yokosuka."
(Additional reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart in Washington; Tim
Kelly, Linda Sieg, Kiyoshi Takenaka and Chang-Ran Kim in Tokyo, Raju
Gopalakrishnan in Manila, Chizu Nomiyama in New York; Writing by
Yara Bayoumy and Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jun/17/images/ads/current/class_liner_sda.png) |