This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/16/us-navy-destroyer-collides-ship-japan

The article has changed 21 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 8 Version 9
Seven missing after US navy destroyer Fitzgerald collides with merchant ship off Japan Seven missing after USS Fitzgerald collides with merchant ship off Japan
(35 minutes later)
Seven Navy sailors are missing and two were injured after a US destroyer collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan. Rescue crews are searching for seven US navy crew members and at least two others are being treated for injuries after their guided missile destroyer collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan.
Footage from the Japanese TV network NHK showed heavy damage to the mid-right side of the USS Fitzgerald and a person in a stretcher being lifted to a helicopter. Japanese coast guard officials dispatched patrol vessels and an aeroplane while the maritime self-defence force provided a helicopter to search the area south-west of the military port city of Yokosuka.
The Navy’s 7th Fleet said on its Facebook page that the number of injuries was still being determined but a US official later confirmed seven were missing and two injured, including the ship’s commander. While the full extent of injuries remains unclear, at least two people required medical evacuation. The US military confirmed that Bryce Benson, the commanding officer of the USS Fitzgerald, was among the injured. He was taken to the US naval hospital in Yokosuka and is now believed to be in a stable condition.
The Navy said in a statement that commander Bryce Benson was evacuated to the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, home base of the 7th Fleet. It says he was in stable condition. The USS Fitzgerald sustained damage to its starboard side in the collision with ACX Crystal, a 26,362-tonne container vessel from the Philippines.
Details on the second injured person being evacuated were not immediately available. US military commanders in Japan briefed locally based relatives at a family support centre at 9.45am. Ahead of the meeting, family of the crew described their distress at the wait for information.
“We are currently searching for the missing individuals,” a Japanese coastguard spokesman said. A concerned parent wrote on the ship’s Facebook page: “The news just reported 7 missing sailors, this is making my heart ache, please let us know soon! Praying for all aboard!”
The Fitzgerald has limited propulsion after suffering damage on the starboard side below the water line. A US defence official said there was flooding in three compartments. Another posted: “My daughter is on this ship as well. We are mess here. Praying for all sailors.”
The Japan coast guard said it received an emergency call from a Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal around 2:20am (1720 GMT Friday) that it had collided with the USS Fitzgerald about 100 miles southwest of Yokusuka, Japan. Rita Schrimsher, whose 23-year-old grandson Jackson Schrimsher is aboard the ship, told the Associated Press that the relatives were “nervous and scared and just praying”.
Coast guard official Takeshi Aikawa said seven navy crew members are unaccounted for, and one had a head injury. Further details of his or her condition were not known. For relatives who were not able to make it to the support centre, the military provided phone numbers to call for information.
Relatives of crew members were awaiting news of their loved ones. “Of course we’re nervous and scared and just praying,” Rita Schrimsher said by telephone from Athens, Alabama. Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, said the authorities would update the families as more information was learned.
Her grandson Jackson Schrimsher is a 23-year-old sailor aboard the Fitzgerald. She said she last communicated with him via Facebook messenger on Wednesday. “Thank you for your well wishes and messages of concern,” he said in a statement. “All of our thoughts and prayers are with the Fitzgerald crew and their families.”
Aikawa said the ship was partially flooded because of damage. So far no damage or injuries had been reported on the container ship, he said. NHK reported that the merchant ship had scratches on the left side of its bow. Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific fleet, added: “Right now we are focused on two things: the safety of the ship and the well-being of the sailors. We thank our Japanese partners for their assistance.”
The Philippine ship is 29,060 tons and is 222 metres (730ft) long, the coast guard said. The ship’s crew was attempting to limit the damage. There were reports that the Fitzgerald has limited propulsion and has experienced flooding in three compartments.
The Navy said that the collision occurred 56 nautical miles (103km) southwest of Yokosuka, a city south of Tokyo that is home to the 7th Fleet. Although the Fitzgerald was operating under its own power, the USS Dewey was on its way to the area, according to the US 7th fleet public affairs unit. US navy aircraft would also join Japan’s coast guard and maritime self-fefence force helicopters, ships and aircraft “to render whatever assistance may be required”.
The fleet said the USS Dewey, medical assistance and two Navy tugs were being dispatched as quickly as possible and that naval aircraft were being readied to help. The Japan coast guard dispatched five patrol ships and an aircraft carrying medics to the site for search and rescue operations. The USS Fitzgerald, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, was commissioned in 1995 and was originally based in San Diego, California. It was deployed in a carrier strike group that assisted the war in Iraq in 2003.
The navy’s Pacific Fleet said the extent of injuries and damage to the Fitzgerald are being determined, and the incident is under investigation. The Fitzgerald changed its home port to Yokosuka, Japan, in 2004 as part of a deployment “to counter ballistic missile threats worldwide”, according to the official history. In November 2011 the then US secretary of state Hillary Clinton met the Philippine foreign affairs secretary, Albert del Rosario, on board the ship to sign the Manila Declaration backing multilateral talks to resolve maritime disputes.