The Latest: Japan Coast Guard Leads Search for U.S. Navy Sailors

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The Latest: Japan Coast Guard Leads Search for U.S. Navy Sailors
From the Associated Press/ McClatchy DC Bureau/ mcclatchydc.com

"YOKOSUKA, Japan

The Latest on a U.S. Navy ship collision (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

The Navy says the Japanese coast guard is leading the search for seven sailors missing after their U.S. destroyer collided with a container ship early Saturday.

The USS Fitzgerald was damaged both above and below the water line. A search of some parts of the ship will continue once they can be reached after the vessel is pier-side at Yokosuka Naval Base, its home port.

The ship was last seen near the pier, flanked by the two tugboats that helped it return from the site of the collision off the eastern coast of Japan....

...The U.S. Navy 7th Fleet says two crew members, including the captain, have been evacuated from a Navy destroyer that collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan. Seven sailors are missing.

The Navy said in a statement that Cmdr. Bryce Benson, the ship's commanding officer, was evacuated to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, home base of the 7th Fleet. It says he was in stable condition.

Details on the second injured person being evacuated were not immediately available.

Navy chief Adm. John Richardson says Navy, Japanese maritime defense vessels and the Japanese coast guard are working to stabilize the badly damaged ship.

___

This item clarifies that Richardson is the head of Navy...."

The damage of the right side of the USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The U.S. Navy says the USS Fitzgerald suffered damage below the water line on its starboard side after it collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant ship. Kyodo News via AP Iori Sagisawa

The damage of Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal is seen off Izu Oshima, Japan, after it collided with the USS Fitzgerald, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The Japan coast guard said it received an emergency call from a Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal early Saturday that it had collided with the USS Fitzgerald. Kyodo News via AP Iori Sagisawa

Be sure to click on the arrow to see the other pics in the slide show about the accident and other pics of the USS Fitzgerald and the ACX Crystal. It starts with an overhead shot of U.S. Military personnel preparing to transfer an injured U.S. sailor from the USS Fitzgerald.

Richard

 

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Had to fix the URL for this to work - I appologize for the delay. You should be able to read the news about the accident now.

Richard

 

[pedro47]

The captain of that ship; career is finished with the navy. Praying all the crew members are safe and sound.

 

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Bodies of 7 Missing US Navy Sailors Found Inside Damaged Warship
From Associated Press/ News/ New York Post/ nypost.com

"YOKOSUKA, Japan — The U.S. Navy says the bodies of sailors who went missing in the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship have been found aboard the stricken destroyer.

The Navy says in a statement that searchers had gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision. A total of seven sailors had been missing since Saturday’s crash off Japan’s coast.

The Navy says the remains are being transferred to Naval Hospital Yokosuka where they will be identified.

It says the families are being notified and being provided the support they need during “this difficult time.” The names of the sailors will be released after all notifications are made..."

Getty Images


RIP


Richard

 

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Sleeping Sailors on U.S.S Fitzgerald Awoke to a Calamity at Sea
By Scott Shane/ Asia/ Pacific/ The New York Times/ nytimes.com

"As an American destroyer cruised off the waters of Japan in clear weather after 2 a.m. Saturday, only a few dozen of the crew of 350 were likely to be awake: standing watch, keeping the engines running, manning the bridge.

Then, Navy officers with decades of experience at sea say, there were probably minutes of sheer terror aboard the Fitzgerald before the collision with an enormous container ship that killed seven sailors.

“My guess is they suddenly saw the lights of the other ship coming toward them and tried to veer off,” said retired Adm. James G. Stavridis, whose book “Destroyer Captain” recounts his time commanding a similar ship in the mid-1990s. “Suddenly your ship is sinking under you. It’s terrifying.”

Navy leaders on Sunday hailed the efforts of the surviving sailors who struggled to seal off compartments and pump out the water that poured in through gaping holes torn in the starboard side...."

Damage to the U.S.S. Fitzgerald, which was berthed at its mother port in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, on Sunday. Credit Kazuhiro Nogi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images


Sad circumstances indeed.


Richard

 

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Mother: Son Tried to Save Navy Shipmates After Collision
By Mari Yamaguchi and Tammy Webber, Associated Press/ Arkansas Online/ hosted2.ap.org

"YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — The mother of a U.S. Navy sailor who survived a direct hit to his sleeping berth during a collision at sea said her son kept diving to try to save his shipmates until the flooded berth began running out of air pockets, while others — believing the ship was under attack — hurried to man the guns.

Mia Sykes of Raleigh, North Carolina, told The Associated Press on Sunday that her 19-year-old son, Brayden Harden, was knocked out of his bunk by the impact, and water immediately began filling the berth, after their destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship four times its size off the Japanese coast.

The ships collided about 2:20 a.m. Saturday, when the Navy said most of the 300 sailors on board would have been sleeping, and authorities have declined to speculate on a cause while the crash remains under investigation.

Sykes says her son told her that four men in his berth, including those sleeping on bunks above and below him died, while three died in the berth above his.

"They did what they were trained to do," said Sykes, who said she hopes her son, from Herrin, Illinois, can come home to be with family as he works through what happened. "You have to realize most of them are 18, 19 and 20-year-olds living with guilt. But I told him, 'There's a reason you're still here and make that count.' "

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the Navy's 7th Fleet, also described a harrowing scene as other sailors fought to keep the ship from sinking. Most of the damage is below the waterline, including a large gash near the keel, Aucoin said.

"So the water flow was tremendous, and so there wasn't a lot of time in those spaces that were open to the sea. And as you can see now, the ship is still listing, so they had to fight the ship to keep it above the surface. It was traumatic," Aucoin said...."

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, speaks during a press conference with the damaged USS Fitzgerald as background at the U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo Sunday, June 18, 2017. The U.S. destroyer Fitzgerald collided with a container ship in the busy sea off Japan, Saturday. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)


Richard

 

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Japan Investigates Delay in Reporting US Navy Ship Collision
By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press/ News/ NationWorld/ Chicago Tribune/ chicagotribune.com

"Japan's coast guard is investigating why it took nearly an hour for a deadly collision between a U.S. Navy destroyer and a container ship to be reported.

A coast guard official said Monday they are trying to find out what the crew of the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal was doing before reporting the collision off Japan's coast to authorities 50 minutes later.

The ACX Crystal collided with the USS Fitzgerald off Japan's coast, killing seven of the destroyer's crew of nearly 300. The ships collided early Saturday morning, when the Navy said most of the 300 sailors on board would have been sleeping. Authorities have declined to speculate on a cause while the crash remains under investigation.

A track of the much-larger container ship's route by MarineTraffic, a vessel-tracking service, shows it made a sudden turn as if trying to avoid something at about 1:30 a.m., before continuing eastward. It then made a U-turn and returned around 2:30 a.m. to the area near the collision.

The coast guard initially said the collision occurred at 2:20 a.m. because the Philippine ship had reported it at 2:25 a.m. and said it just happened. After interviewing Filipino crewmembers, the coast guard has changed the collision time to 1:30 a.m.

Coast guard official Tetsuya Tanaka said they are trying to resolve what happened during the 50 minutes.


Richard

 

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As Sailor's Bodies Are Flown to U.S., Fitzgerald Inquiries Intensify
By Motoko Rich/ World/ Asia/ Pacific/ The New York Times/ nytimes.com

"TOKYO — As the bodies of the seven sailors who died aboard the American destroyer Fitzgerald last weekend were flown back to the United States from Japan on Tuesday, multiple investigations of the fatal collision with a container ship began in earnest.

The United States Navy and Coast Guard are investigating, as are the Japanese Coast Guard and the Japan Transport Safety Board, in an effort to determine what caused the deadly crash in a busy sea lane in the middle of the night.

Japanese officials said on Monday that the accident had occurred nearly an hour earlier than previously believed, and on Tuesday the United States Navy appeared to accept the revised timeline. “We’re not disputing what the Japanese Coast Guard is saying” about the timing of the collision, said Cmdr. Bill Clinton, a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet at the American base in Yokosuka, Japan, south of Tokyo.

The ACX Crystal, the 29,000-ton Philippine-registered ship that collided with the Fitzgerald off Japan, docked in Yokohama on Monday so that its cargo of household goods and machine parts could be unloaded...."

The damaged bow of the container ship ACX Crystal. Credit Hitoshi Takano/Kyodo News, via Associated Press


Richard

 

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7 Sailors Emerged From Diverse Backgrounds to Pursue a Common Cause
By Dave Philipps/ U.S./ The New York Times/ nytimes.com

"The seven sailors who died when the destroyer Fitzgerald collided with a container ship last weekend were a snapshot of the nation they served: an immigrant from the Philippines whose father served in the Navy before him; a poor teenager whose Guatemalan family came north eager for opportunity; a native of Vietnam hoping to help his family; a firefighter’s son from a rural crossroads in the rolling green fields of Virginia.

The roll call of the dead also illustrated the degree to which the military relies on recruits from immigrant communities around the country.

The Navy is still investigating what caused the near sinking of the 505-foot destroyer, which collided with a container ship early Saturday morning in the waters off Japan, flooding two berths full of bunks, as well as other rooms...."

Xavier Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, Md.; Shingo Douglass, 25, from San Diego; Dakota Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, Va.; Carlos Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, Calif.; Ngoc T. Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, Conn.; Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, Tex.; and Gary Rehm Jr., 37, from Elyria, Ohio. Credit U.S. Navy, via Associated Press


Richard

 

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Maritime Mystery: Why a U.S. Destroyer Failed to Dodge a Cargo Ship

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/world/asia/destroyer-fitzgerald-collision.html


Richard

 

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Initial Investigation Blames Navy for USS Fitzgerald Collision
By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent/ U.S. Military/ cnn.com

"(CNN)Preliminary findings in the investigation into the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine cargo ship off the coast of Japan in June suggest the accident was caused by multiple errors by the Fitzgerald's crew and a failure to take action in the minutes leading to the collision, according to two defense officials.

"They did nothing until the last second," one official said. "A slew of things went wrong." A second official said the crash "will wind up being our (the US Navy's) fault."..."

YOKOSUKA, Japan -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) sits in Dry Dock 4 at Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka to continue repairs and assess damage sustained from its June 17 collision with a merchant vessel.


Richard

 

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USS Fitzgerald's Leadership Removed From Their Duties Over June Collision
By Ryan Browne, CNN/ Politics/ cnn.com

"(CNN)The commanding officer, executive officer and senior non-commissioned officer of the USS Fitzgerald have been removed from their duties for cause amid the fallout surrounding the deadly collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a cargo ship off the coast of Japan on June 17.

"We've lost trust and confidence in their ability to lead in those positions and they will not return to the ship," Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. William Moran told reporters at the Pentagon late Thursday. The 7th Fleet also said several junior officers were relieved of duty.

While the final investigation into the collision is ongoing, Moran said: "We do not have to have the investigation complete to start the process."
The Fitzgerald's commanding officer, Cdr. Bryce Benson, and the executive officer, Cdr. Sean Babbiit, were both sleeping, and the master chief petty officer, Brice Baldwin, were not on the bridge at the time of the collision, according to the Navy.

The bow of the cargo ship directly struck the commander's cabin, according to the Navy's report detailing the immediate aftermath of the collision...."

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) sits in Dry Dock 4 at Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka to continue repairs and assess damage sustained from its June 17 collision with a merchant vessel. U.S. Navy Photo


Richard

 

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USS Fitzgerald Leaders Punished, Crew is Praised After Collision With Cargo Ship
By Bill Chappell/ America/ The Two-Way: Breaking News From NPR/ National Public Radio/ npr.org

"The U.S. Navy has relieved the USS Fitzgerald's commander and two other senior leaders of their duties — and it's also praising the crew for saving their ship after the destroyer collided with a large Philippine-flagged container ship off the coast of Japan on June 17.

"It was also evident from this review that the entire Fitzgerald crew demonstrated real toughness that night," the Navy said. "Following the collision these Sailors responded with urgency, determination and creativity to save their ship."

Inadequate leadership and flawed teamwork contributed to the crash, the Navy said after releasing the findings of its investigation into the crash. It also blamed poor seamanship by the crews of both the guided-missile cruiser and the ACX Crystal, whose gross tonnage was triple that of the U.S. ship...."

The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald returns to port after colliding with a merchant vessel in June while operating southwest of Yokosuka, Japan.

MC1 Peter Burghart/U.S. Navy


Richard

 

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Why the Destroyer Crash That Killed 7 U.S. Sailors Doesn't Make Sense
By Gary Wetzel and Jalopnik/ Gizmodo/ gizmodo.com

"Something tragic happened off the coast of Japan on June 17th. It's not entirely clear how it happened, but seven sailors are now dead. What we do know is that a U.S. Navy destroyer collided with a much larger cargo ship. Blame has been placed on the destroyer's crew, but there's a lot about this that doesn't add up...."

The ACX Crystal


Richard