Seven missing as cargo ship smashes into US destroyer
SEVEN sailors were feared dead last night after a £1.1billion US Navy destroyer collided with a cargo ship off the coast of Japan.
The USS Fitzgerald was left crushed and listing with three crew areas underwater following the collision with a much larger Philippines-registered cargo ship, ACX Crystal.
Three crew members from the destroyer – including its captain Bryce Benson, who took command only two months ago – were airlifted from the stricken vessel, which ‘limped back’ to Yokosuka Naval Base, south of Tokyo.
Sailors frantically pumped water out of the damaged areas, which included two sleeping quarters for crew and an engineering bay.
The accident happened 56 miles south-west of Yokosuka, home of the US Seventh Fleet. Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said: ‘Right now we are focused on two things: the safety of the ship and the wellbeing of the sailors.’
TV footage showed Japanese coastguard vessels searching for the missing sailors, who could have been thrown into the ocean or trapped inside the flooded parts of the destroyer.
Conditions were clear but a spokesman for the coastguard described the area as ‘extremely busy with sea traffic’.
Damage to the front of the container ship suggested that it hit the destroyer head-on. A US Navy spokesman said: ‘It was a real fight by the crew to keep the ship afloat. Our concerns now are with the seven shipmates still missing. We are reeling from the events.’
Relatives appealed for news of loved ones after the collision at 2.20am yesterday. Most of the 200 sailors aboard would have been asleep at the time. After speaking to her 23-year-old grandson, Jackson Schrimsher, via FaceTime, Rita Schrimsher, of Athens, Alabama, tweeted: ‘Just heard the sweetest voice and saw a wonderful face.
‘He’s okay. Thank you all for the prayers. It could have been worse, so we’re grateful.’
The cargo ship is 29,060 tons and 728ft long – much larger than the destroyer at 9,000 tons and 505ft long. The US has yet to officially comment on the collision. Commander Benson was said to be in a stable condition last night with a head injury. Two other sailors were treated for cuts and bruises.