At least three other Navy sailors were injured in the crash. He had previously commanded a minesweeper based in Sasebo in western Japan.
The Navy has recovered some bodies of the seven sailors still unaccounted for after the collision tore a hole in the warship - but still hasn't said how many or named any of them.
Japanese Coast Guard ships and helicopters were the first on scene and our first medevac, the ship's commanding officer, Cmdr.
Aucoin, however, declined to say how numerous crew members were found. "Out of concern for the families and the notification process, I will decline to state how many we have found at this time", Aucoin told a news conference.
"They did what they were trained to do", said Sykes, who said she hopes her son can come home to be with family as he works through the accident.
"There wasn't a lot of time in spaces that were open to the sea".
"This was a severe emergency, but the ship's crew was swift and responsive and I can't tell you how proud I am of the crew for what they did to save the ship", Aucoin said. "You will see the USS Fitzgerald back".
The Navy hasn't clarified how many bodies were discovered.
Those who did not survive might have killed by the impact of the crash or drowned by the flooding, Navy spokesman Lieutenant Paul Newell said. "The damage was significant", he said.
There have been several collisions involving large vessels in the area over the past five years, Japan's Asahi newspaper said.
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For hours following the pre-dawn collision, the damaged destroyer was pumping out water as it limped back to its home port in Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo by sunset on Saturday, its crew lined up on deck.
Several other USA crew members were injured in the accident and had to be evacuated by air to hospital, including the vessel's commanding officer Bryce Benson, who is "undergoing treatment", Aucoin said.
Aucoin wouldn't speculate on the cause of the collision and would order a thorough investigation. The weather was clear with a swell of about six feet at the time.
Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), the company that chartered the ACX Crystal, released three statements over the weekend regarding the container ship's collision with the USS Fitzgerald.
Photos showed the container ship with minor damage to its bow, while the Fitzgerald appeared to have extensive damage midship on its right, or starboard, side, just below its bridge.
The USS Fitzgerald could have foundered, or even sunk, but for the crew's desperate efforts to save the ship, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin said on Sunday. Many scratches were also seen in the frontal area. The U.S. Coast Guard would conduct its own inquiry, he said, and the Navy would cooperate with inquiries by the Japanese authorities.
The U.S. Navy says the search is continuing for seven missing American sailors in the sea off Japan, after a collision between a Navy destroyer and a huge cargo ship.
The operators of the merchant ship, ACX Crystal, reported all of the 20-member Filipino crew were safe.
US aircraft as well as Japanese helicopters were dispatched to help assist the search effort.
Their loved ones are what makes this Navy great, so this loss is something we all do feel. "I express my heartfelt solidarity to America at this hard time", praising USA servicemen in Japan under the allies' bilateral security pact.
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