Yokosuka, Japan - US 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 US 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 US 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.
An injured crew member of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald is carried on a stretcher after arriving at the U. S. naval base in Yokosuka. Picture: Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force/Handout via REUTERS
Benson took command of the Fitzgerald on May 13. He had
previously commanded a minesweeper based in Sasebo in western
Japan.
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 stabilised, 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.
An injured crew member of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald is carried on a stretcher on the destroyer off Shimoda. Picture: Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force/Handout via REUTERS
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 US warship, and was carrying 1 080 containers
from the port of Nagoya to Tokyo.
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.
A Philippine-flagged merchant vessel damaged by colliding with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald is seen off Izu Oshima island. Picture: Kyodo/via REUTERS
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 US 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."