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US Navy orders global investigation after destroyer collision
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The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain, with a hole on its portside after a collision with an oil tanker, makes its way to Changi naval base in Singapore on August 21, 2017. Ten US sailors were missing and five injured after their destroyer collided with a tanker east of Singapore early Monday, the second accident involving an American warship in two months. (Agence France -Presse/Roslan Rahman)
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he US Navy announced a fleet-wide global investigation on Monday after the latest in a series of accidents left another 10 sailors missing and five more injured.
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson ordered commanders to set aside time, perhaps "one or two days" within a week, for crews to sit down together after the destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker off Singapore.
And this will be carried out in parallel to the start of "comprehensive review" of practices.
"As you know, this is the second collision in three months and the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific theater," Richardson said.
"This trend demands more forceful action. As such, I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world."
The admiral did not rule out some kind of outside interference or a cyber attack being behind the collision, but said he did not want to prejudge the inquiry and his broader remarks suggested a focus on "how we do business on the bridge."
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, on a visit to Jordan, said Richardson's "broader enquiry will look at all related accidents, incidents at sea, that sort of thing. He is going to look at all factors, not just the immediate one."
Ten US sailors were still missing after Monday's collision between the McCain and the Alnic MC in the busy shipping lanes of the Singapore Strait, near the Strait of Malacca, which left a large hole in the USS John McCain's hull.
A major search involving ships and aircraft from Singapore, Malaysia and the US was launched for the missing sailors.
Search efforts continued Tuesday with aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS America joining the hunt, which was focused on the area in which the collision occurred, the navy said.
The USS America -- which arrived in Singapore Monday -- was also providing support to crew members from the McCain, helping to drain water from the warship and repair systems damaged in the accident
The badly damaged destroyer limped into port in the southeast Asian city-state of Singapore under escort Monday after the dramatic pre-dawn accident.
Analysts said the accident, which came after June's collision off Japan involving a US warship, raised questions about whether the US Navy was overstretched in Asia as it seeks to combat Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
The US Navy said there was "significant damage to the hull" of the vessel, which led to flooding of crew sleeping areas, machinery and communications rooms.
