7 U.S. Crew members reported missing after Navy destroyer collides with cargo ship off Japan. The U.S. 7th Fleet said on its Facebook page that it is working with the Japanese Coast Guard to conduct a medical evacuation for a sailor, and that there are currently no reports of deaths. The fleet said the number of injuries is still being determined. Source 7s.
Image from Wikimedia public domain.
USS Fitzgerald (Hover)
All 7 missing sailors from the USS Fitzgerald were found dead in flooded compartments after the collision with a merchant ship, a US Navy official said. Ref. CNN.
Commander of destroyer Fitzgerald damaged in seaborne crash relieved after Navy report cites failures. The head of the Navy's 7th Fleet has relieved the skipper of the USS Fitzgerald and two other officers for losing "Situational awareness" in the hours leading up to a fatal June collision that left seven sailors dead, the service's deputy chief said Thursday. The Fitzgerald struck a freighter off the coast of Japan. Ref. USAToday.
I still do not understand how a freighter could get close enough to a navy destroyer to hit it almost broadside. I would have to agree with the Admiral to relieve the Captain of the Destroyer and other high ranking officers if they could not see a big ship heading towards them in time for them to maneuver away from the collision.