Hunt for 10 sailors
AN URGENT search was underway for 10 sailors missing after a Navy destroyer collided Monday with an oil tanker near Singapore.
Photos of the damaged vessel, the John S. McCain, showed a gaping hole in its hull.
The collision was the second in three months involving the Pacificbased 7th Fleet, prompting a broad investigation by the Navy into performance and readiness, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.
The McCain’s crash with the Liberian-flagged Alnic MC caused “significant damage,” resulting in flooding in the destroyer’s crew berths, machinery and communications rooms, the Navy said.
Crew members were able to prevent further flooding.
No crew members were injured on the Alnic.
Vessels and aircraft from the U.S., Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia were involved in the search for missing sailors.
There was no immediate explanation for the collision. Singapore is home to one of the busiest ports in the world.
Questions lingered about whether a cyberattack had affected navigation systems.
On June 17, the destroyer Fitzgerald collided with a freighter off the coast of Japan, killing seven sailors.
Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, on Monday called for a brief pause in operations to assess safety protocols.
“It is the second such incident in a very short period of time — inside of three months — and very similar as well,” Richardson said. “It . . . gives great cause for concern that there is something out there we are not getting at.”
He said the review was “urgent” and would be conducted on a tight timetable.
The ship is named for the grandfather and father of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who were both Navy admirals.