10 US Sailors Missing After Destroyer Collides With Ship
Ten US Navy sailors are missing after a US Navy guided-missile destroyer collided with an oil tanker east of Singapore early Monday, the fourth accident in Asian waters involving a US warship in 2017.
The Navy’s 7th Fleet said the USS John S. McCain collided with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while the destroyer was making its way to a port visit in Singapore. The collision was reported at 5:24 am local time, east of the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s most congested shipping routes.
The Navy reported significant hull damage to the McCain, saying there was flooding in berthing compartments as well as machinery and communication rooms.
Pacific naval impact
The collision comes at a time of high tensions in the Pacific.
The McCain is equipped with the Aegis missile defense system, which has been touted as a possible counter to any North Korean missile launch.
A US 7th Fleet spokesman said Monday the McCain is one of 14 Aegis-equipped ships the Navy has forward-deployed to Japan and it plans to add another next year. In total, the US Navy has 84 vessels equipped with the Aegis system.
Cmdr. Clay Doss said the US has a mixture of ships and aircraft available to cover all missions even without the McCain or USS Fitzgerald, the McCain’s sister ship that was damaged in a June collision.
The McCain’s last high-profile mission was earlier this month, when it performed a freedom of navigation exercise near a chinese claimed Island in the South China Sea.
No fuel or oil was seen on the water near the ship after the collision on Monday as it steamed under its own power to Changi Naval Base in Singapore, arriving in the afternoon, the Navy said.
CNN