7 Navy Sailors Missing After U. S. Destroyer Collides With Merchant Vessel Off Japan -
By MOTOKO RICHJUNE 16, 2017
TOKYO — Seven Navy sailors were missing on Saturday after a United States destroyer
collided with a Philippine merchant vessel off the coast of Japan, the Navy said.
The Navy said two other sailors had been evacuated by helicopter and were being treated for lacerations and bruises
Japanese television showed extensive damage to the Fitzgerald, which the Navy
said had taken on water but was still capable of moving under its own power.
Masayuki Obara, an official with the Japanese Coast Guard, which was aiding the Fitzgerald and helping to search for its missing crew members, said
that a sailor on the destroyer had sustained a head injury and was unable to walk.
Bryce Benson, was evacuated from the ship by helicopter to a nearby United States naval base
and was in stable condition, the United States Seventh Fleet said in a statement.
The pattern of damage suggested that the Crystal — a much larger vessel, laden
with shipping containers — had collided nose-first with the Fitzgerald’s side.