Admiral John Richardson, chief of Naval Operations, said: "As more information is learned, we will be sure to share it with the Fitzgerald families and when appropriate the public". None of the 20-member crew on the Philippine-flagged container ship was reported injured.
The damaged USS Fitzgerald is being towed by a tugboat in the waters near the U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka.
Seven members were missing and three injured after the USS Fitzgerald collided with the container ship ACX Crystal.
The U.S. Navy says the bodies of sailors who went missing in the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship have been found aboard the stricken destroyer.
"This loss is something we all feel", Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of the USA 7th Fleet, told reporters alongside the ship at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan Sunday.
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.
The navy said it had found "a number" of bodies inside the guided missile destroyer, but did not specify if all seven crew had been found dead in the search that took place after it limped back into harbour. "It was traumatic", Aucoin said.
"The damage was significant". "This was not a small collision".
NYK and the ship's owner are cooperating with a Japan Coast Guard investigation into the collision, the shipping firm said.
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"The water flow was tremendous, and so there wasn't a lot of time in those spaces that were open to the sea".
"The crew had to fight very hard to keep the ship afloat", he said.
Benson took command of the Fitzgerald on May 13. Bryce Benson, the ship's commanding officer, was evacuated to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, home base of the 7th Fleet, and was in stable condition. Two other crew members suffered cuts and bruises and were also flown out by helicopter. "He is lucky to be alive", he said. "As soon as the investigation is complete, legal concerns can be addressed at that time", the 7th Fleet said. It was carrying 1,080 containers from the port of Nagoya to Tokyo. The 29,000-ton Philippine ship is 222 meters long, while the 8,315-ton Navy destroyer is 154 meters long.
The container ship's left bow was dented and scraped, but it did not appear to have sustained any major structural damage.
Photos of the Crystal showed damage to its bow. However, it was not clear how the collision happened. Both Aucoin and the Japanese coast guard, however, said it was too early to determine what led to the collision.
Nippon Yusen K.K., the Japanese company operating the merchant vessel, said the 20 member Filipino crew aboard the ship was safe.
No injuries were reported on the Crystal, which was traveling up the Japanese coast.
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"Right now we are focused on two things: the safety of the ship and the well-being of the Sailors", said Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
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