{"id":41952,"date":"2017-08-21T05:23:12","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T05:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=41952"},"modified":"2017-08-21T05:23:12","modified_gmt":"2017-08-21T05:23:12","slug":"five-sailors-injured-10-missing-u-s-navy-destroyer-collides-merchant-ship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/five-sailors-injured-10-missing-u-s-navy-destroyer-collides-merchant-ship.html","title":{"rendered":"Five sailors injured, 10 missing after U.S. Navy destroyer collides with a merchant ship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five sailors injured, 10 missing after U.S. Navy destroyer collides with a merchant ship<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Five sailors injured, 10 missing after U.S. Navy destroyer collides with a merchant ship:- Ten U.S. Navy sailors were missing and five were injured after the USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker more than three times its size collided near Singapore early Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n

American and Singaporean ships and helicopters launched a search-and-rescue mission after the pre-dawn collision at the entrance to one of the world\u2019s busiest shipping lanes.<\/span><\/p>\n

This was the second time in two months that a Navy destroyer based at the 7th Fleet\u2019s home port of Yokosuka, Japan, has been involved in a collision at sea. Seven sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship south of Japan in June.<\/span><\/p>\n

The McCain, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer equipped with an Aegis system, had been on its way to a routine port visit in Singapore after patrolling in the South China Sea. Shipping data showed that the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Alnic MC was also on its way to Singapore when the ships collided east of the Strait of Malacca at 5:24\u2009a.m. local time, while it was still dark.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 550-mile-long strait runs between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is one of the world\u2019s busiest shipping lanes but is well traversed and governed, analysts say.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Alnic is more than three times the size of the McCain, with a gross tonnage of 30,000, compared with the destroyer\u2019s 8,300.<\/span><\/p>\n

Initial reports indicated that the destroyer sustained damage to its port side at the rear but that it was currently sailing under its own power toward port in Singapore.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Navy\u2019s 7th Fleet said that Navy Seahawk helicopters and Ospreys were mobilized for the search-and-rescue effort, joining tugboats from Singapore, a Singapore police coast guard vessel, and a Singapore navy ship and helicopters.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur first priority is determining the safety of the ship and crew,\u201d Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, wrote on Twitter. \u201cAs more information is learned, we will share it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The 7th Fleet set up an emergency assistance center in Yokosuka for family members of the McCain crew.<\/span><\/p>\n

President Trump, returning to the White House on Sunday night, responded to reporters\u2019 questions about the collision by saying: \u201cThat\u2019s too bad.\u201d Later Sunday night, Trump tweeted, \u201cThoughts & prayers are w\/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The collision marks the fourth time this year that a Navy vessel with the 7th Fleet has been involved in a major mishap, an embarrassing string that has prompted the service to remove several senior officers from command.<\/span><\/p>\n

The others include the deadly collision involving the USS Fitzgerald on June 17, a May 9 incident in which the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing vessel east of the Korean peninsula, and a Jan. 31 mishap in which the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay, near its home port of Yokosuka.<\/span><\/p>\n

The collision Monday came just days after the Navy issued a damning report listing errors that led to the USS Fitzgerald collision.<\/span><\/p>\n

The seven sailors who were killed in that incident all drowned in their berth compartments when the container ship struck the destroyer\u2019s side.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Navy said last week that it would discipline a dozen sailors who were aboard the Fitzgerald, including the top two officers and the top enlisted sailor, whose careers are almost certainly over.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adm. William F. Moran, vice chief of naval operations, said the sailors who were on watch in the ship\u2019s bridge \u201clost situational awareness,\u201d contributing to the collision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysts were incredulous that a second destroyer based at Yokosuka could be involved in another collision so soon after the Fitzgerald incident.<\/span><\/p>\n

Euan Graham, director of the international security program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, called it \u201cextraordinary\u201d and said it would certainly lead to the asking of pointed questions within the Navy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The incident also could affect the 7th Fleet and its readiness, Graham said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey were already stretched after the Fitzgerald collision, and now they\u2019ve lost a second frontline destroyer at an acute time in the region, with the tensions around North Korea and in the South China Sea,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Fitzgerald is still being repaired but is expected to return to service.<\/span><\/p>\n

The USS McCain, nicknamed \u201cBig Bad John,\u201d is named after the father and grandfather of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). John S. McCain Sr. and John S. McCain Jr. served as admirals in the Navy during World War II. The destroyer\u2019s motto is \u201cFortune favors the brave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Photos posted on the USS McCain\u2019s Facebook page showed the crew fishing and playing cards on the deck at sunset Saturday, during a \u201cpatrol in the South China Sea in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/another-us-navy-destroyer-collides-with-a-merchant-ship-rescue-efforts-underway\/2017\/08\/20\/c42f15b2-8602-11e7-9ce7-9e175d8953fa_story.html?utm_term=.f0ea495c2ed2<\/span><\/p>\n

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