Bodies of 7 U.S. sailors found
The bodies of the missing crew members are found in flooded berthing spaces.
Missing crew members’ remains located in f looded berthing spaces after collision off Japan.
The bodies of seven missing U.S. sailors have been found aboard the guidedmissile destroyer that collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, the Navy said late Saturday.
Search and rescue crews gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision, and the bodies were found below the water line in the flooded berthing compartments, the Navy said.
“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,” the Navy said in a statement.
The Navy, along with the Japanese Coast Guard, had been searching for the seven at sea. The Dewey, another guided missile-destroyer, and two Navy tugs had been dispatched to provide assistance.
The Fitzgerald sustained significant damage and began taking on water after a collision with the Philippine-flagged merchant vessel ACX Crystal at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday while operating more than 50 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan.
Three sailors required medical evacuation, including the ship’s commander, Cmdr. Bryce Benson. The sailors are under observation at the U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka and have been in stable condition.
It remains unclear how the collision occurred, but the Navy said the damage affected the Fitzgerald’s forward starboard side above and below the water line, causing significant damage and flooding to two berthing spaces, a machinery space, and the radio room. Most of the more than 200 sailors aboard would have been asleep in their berths at the time of the predawn crash.
The ship arrived in Yokosuka and was inspected by divers.
The Philippine-flagged container ship was berthed at Tokyo’s Oi wharf, where officials began questioning crew members about the cause of the nighttime crash.
Relatives of crew members had been frantically seeking news, appealing via social media for calls from sailors aboard the ship. Navy personnel set up support and counseling services to help families as they sought updates.
“Just heard the sweetest voice and saw a wonderful face. He’s OK. Thank you all for the prayers,” Rita Schrimsher of Athens, Ala., tweeted after speaking with her 23-year-old grandson, Jackson Schrimsher, via Facetime.
“It could have been worse, so we’re grateful,” she said by phone.
President Trump thanked Japan earlier for its help in the search for the missing sailors.
“Thoughts and prayers with the sailors of USS Fitzgerald and their families,” Trump tweeted Saturday morning. “Thank you to our Japanese allies for their assistance.”
“This has been a difficult day,” said Vice Adm. Joseph P. Aucoin, commander of the 7th Fleet, earlier Saturday. “I am humbled by the bravery and tenacity of the Fitzgerald crew.”
The Navy said the collision occurred 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, home to the 7th Fleet.
The Japanese coast guard said it received an emergency call from the ACX Crystal, operated by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen K.K., reporting the collision around 2:30 a.m. Authorities were questioning crew members and treating the incident as a case of possible professional negligence, said Masayuki Obara, a regional coast guard official.
The ACX Crystal weighs 29,060 tons and is 730 feet long, the coast guard said, much larger than the 8,315ton Navy destroyer. The container ship’s left bow was dented and scraped, but it did not appear to have sustained any major damage.
Nippon Yusen said all the ACX Crystal’s 20 Filipino crew members were safe.
Conditions were clear at the time of the collision, though Yutaka Saito of the coast guard said the area is busy with sea traffic.