A search and rescue operation for seven missing sailors of a U.S. Navy destroyer was called off Sunday after it collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant ship, Saturday.
Seven sailors were reported missing after Saturday's predawn collision between the United States navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald and a container ship, triggering a major search operation off Japan's Pacific coast.
After a search through twisted wreckage and flooded cabins, the Navy said it had recovered the bodies of the seven sailors who had been declared missing after the accident early Saturday.
"Families of the deceased are now being alerted and provided the help they need during this challenging time", the 7th Fleet stated.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) returns to Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka following a collision with a merchant vessel while operating southwest of Yokosuka, Japan.
He said that much of the crew of about 300 was asleep when the collision happened at 2:20 a.m. Saturday, and that one machinery room and two berthing areas for 116 crew members were severely damaged. Bryce Benson, were evacuated from the damaged vessel and are being treated at the U.S. naval hospital at Yokosuka, the home of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet. Benson was flown off the crippled ship by helicopter after the accident and was being treated at the naval hospital at the USA naval base at Yosuka, Japan, said Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, 7th Fleet commander, as were two other sailors who were medevaced.
"This was not a small collision", said Vice Admiral Joseph P. Aucoin, commander of the Navy's Seventh Fleet.
The Fitzgerald is based in Yokosuka and has a crew of approximately 330 sailors. A number of media outlets have indicated that the seven soldiers were found dead. At this point, the U.S. Navy has not formally confirmed the identities of the other deceased sailors.
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Rigsby proudly wrote on his Facebook page that he was a Gunner's Mate in the United States Navy. "But I told him, 'There's a reason you're still here and make that count'".
The Navy said the families were being notified and provided the support they need during "this hard time".
Crew members from the destroyer USS Dewey stabilized the flooding on the Fitzgerald, and American sailors and the Japanese Coast Guard continued to search for the missing sailors. It was questioning crew members of the ACX Crystal, which is operated by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen K.K., and was treating the incident as a case of possible professional negligence, said Masayuki Obara, a regional coast guard official.
The Philippine-flagged ship reportedly made a sudden U-turn about 25 minutes before the accident.
The caved-in side of the Fitzgerald.
The cause of the collision - which happened in an area with busy sea traffic - was not immediately clear.
Trump posted a message Saturday on Twitter expressing his concern for the sailors and his appreciation to Japan for its assistance. "All of our thoughts and prayers are with the Fitzgerald crew and their families", he also said.
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