Foreign Affairs

Navy Sailors Found Dead Aboard US Destroyer After Collision With Container Ship

100319-N-9573A-005 DONGHAE, Republic of Korea (March 19, 2010) A Republic of Korea (ROK) Sailor waves the American flag and ROK flag as the USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) pulls into the port of Donghae. John S. McCain is scheduled to train with the ROK Navy as part of Foal Eagle 2010, which is a series of field exercises. John S. McCain is one of seven ships assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 and is forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Bobbie G. Attaway)

The bodies of multiple U.S. Navy sailors were found dead in the hull of a crippled destroyer damaged in a collision with a merchant ship Saturday, the military reports.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged container vessel three times its size near Japan early Saturday morning, causing significant damage to the U.S. ship. As the ship was escorted back to port in Yokosuka, Japan, a massive search and rescue operation was launched to find seven missing American sailors.

“As search and rescue crews gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision this morning, the missing Sailors were located in the flooded berthing compartments,” the 7th Fleet Public Affairs Office said in a statement.

The bodies of the deceased are being taken to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, where they will be identified.

The families are being notified, and the names of those killed in the incident, which is still under investigation, will be released after all of the notifications have been sent out.

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