USS Fitzgerald damaged by the crash[/caption]
Seven US Navy crew members are missing after their ship collided with a merchant vessel off the coast of Japan.
Among the injured is the USS Fitzgerald’s commanding officer, who was taken to hospital by helicopter. The destroyer collided with the container ship about 56 nautical miles (104km) south-west of Yokosuka. Aerial images showed heavy damage to the Navy ship’s starboard side after the collision at about 02:30 local time on Saturday (17:30 GMT Friday).What happened?
The collision occurred near Yokosuka, a Japanese port city that is home to the US 7th Fleet, which comprises up to 80 submarines and ships and including the USS Fitzgerald. It is unclear where the 154-metre (505ft) guided missile destroyer ship was heading at the time. The ACX Crystal, a 222-metre (730ft) Filipino-flagged container ship, was travelling between the Japanese cities of Nagoya and Tokyo. Marine traffic records suggest the ACX Crystal made a sudden U-turn roughly 25 minutes before the collision with the USS Fitzgerald. It is not clear why it changed course. Marine traffic records suggest it was travelling at 14.6 knots (27km/h) at the time of the collision.
The ACX Crystal appeared to make a U-turn before the collision, before rapidly adjusting course and setting off to Tokyo Photo: MARINETRAFFIC.COM[/caption]How bad are the damage and injuries?
Japan’s coastguard is co-ordinating the search for the seven missing crew members. The Navy ship’s commanding officer, Cdr Bryce Benson, was in a stable condition after being transferred to US Naval Hospital Yokosuka, according to Navy officials. Two other sailors were flown to hospital by helicopter for treatments for “lacerations and bruises”, the 7th Fleet said on Twitter. By mid-afternoon local time, it said that all flooding on board the USS Fitzgerald was under control. It is not at risk of sinking. The 7th Fleet also said the ship was on its way to Yokosuka – under its own power, but with limited propulsion.
The damage to the ACX Crystal was less serious than to the Navy ship photo EPA[/caption]
What is the fallout?
Japan’s defence ministry issued an image of one crew member being transferred Photo: EPA[/caption]One of the most advanced warships in the world – Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC News, Tokyo
The area where the collision took place is extremely busy, with shipping heading in and out of Tokyo bay. However, the USS Fitzgerald is one of the most advanced warships in the world – with highly sophisticated radars systems. At the moment the focus is on the search for the missing sailors. Later will come the investigation into how one of the world’s most sophisticated warships failed to avoid colliding with a 30,000-tonne cargo ship on a calm, clear night.
