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| USS John S McCain (Image: Wiki Commons) |
The US guided-missile destroyer crashed into the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca in the South China Sea, the US Navy 7th Fleet reports.
The incident occurred at 6:24 a.m. local time as the ship was on its way to make a routine port visit in Singapore. Early reports hold that the McCain has been damaged on its port side, and the latest US Navy update says the ship is sailing under her own power and is on her way to port.
A search and rescue operation has been launched, combining the efforts of the Singapore Navy and US ships in the area. The Singapore Navy ship RSS Gallant, RSN helicopters and Police Coast Guard vessel Basking Shark are currently in the area to render assistance, the 7th fleet reports, and MV-22s and SH-60s from USS America are also responding.
The incident will be investigated, the Navy has said.
The USS John McCain is an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer belonging to the US Navy's 7th Fleet, and is home ported at the US Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan. The Alnic MC is described as a Liberian-flagged, 30,000 ton, 183-meter oil and chemical tanker by the Marine Traffic website. It appears to have been on its way to Singapore from Pyeongtaek port in South Korea.
"Our first priority is determining the safety of the ship and crew," Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a Twitter statement.
Cindy & I are keeping America's sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight - appreciate the work of search & rescue crews https://t.co/jzk9giXbfg— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) August 21, 2017
This accident comes only weeks after the June 17 collision of the USS Fitzgerald with the ACX Crystal container ship, in which seven of the Fitzgerald crew were killed and several others injured. A high level staff shakeup followed the crash.
This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.