US Navy all at sea after collision

REPEAT: SECOND INCIDENT IN 3 MONTHS IN PACIFIC THEATRE Divers searching for the missing sailors have found human remains.

The US Navy announced a fleet-wide global investigation after the latest in a series of warship accidents left 10 sailors missing and five injured. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson ordered commanders within a week to set aside time, perhaps “one or two days”, for crews to sit down together after the destroyer USS John S McCain collided with a tanker off Singapore early on Monday.

Divers searching for the missing sailors have found human remains, a US admiral said yesterday.

The accident off Singapore, which left a gaping gash in the destroyer’s hull, was the second deadly collision in two months involving an American warship.

But Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, praised the surviving crew for saving the ship and saving lives.

The accident happened before dawn in busy shipping lanes around the Strait of Singapore, and sent water flooding into the ship.

A “comprehensive review” of US Navy practices will begin.

“As you know, this is the second collision in three months and the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific theatre,” Richardson said.

“This trend demands more forceful action. As such, I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world.”

The admiral did not rule out some kind of outside interference or a cyberattack being behind the latest collision, but said he did not want to prejudge the inquiry.

His broader remarks suggested a focus on “how we do business on the bridge”.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, on a visit to Jordan, said Richardson’s “broader enquiry will look at all related accidents, incidents at sea, that sort of thing.

“He is going to look at all factors, not just the immediate one.” – AFP