USS John McCain: ‘Some Remains’ Of Missing Sailors Found
SINGAPORE — “Some remains” of 10 missing US sailors have been found after the collision between the US destroyer John S. McCain and an oil tanker near Singapore, US Navy Adm. Scott Swift said Tuesday.
Navy and Marine Corps divers found the remains in the sealed compartments aboard the McCain, said Swift, commander of the Pacific Fleet. The Royal Malaysian Navy has also located one body, and officials are working to determine if it is one of the missing sailors, he said. Divers have also located others.
US military divers continue to search the flooded areas of the McCain. Ships and planes are scouring the seas east of Singapore. Divers will also assess the extent of damage to the warship, which is docked at a Singapore naval facility, according to the Navy.
The guided-missile destroyer and the merchant vessel collided Monday east of the Malacca Strait, the fourth time a US warship has been involved in an accident in Asian waters this year.
The collision prompted the Navy to order a rare, one-day operational pause.
“This trend demands more forceful action,” Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, said. Swift said the Pacific Fleet will complete the operational pause by next Monday.
At least seven vessels from the Malaysian and Singapore navies, plus military aircraft from the USS America, are involved in the search near one of the world’s most congested shipping lanes.
A Malaysian official said Monday the sea in the area was “quite rough,” with waves up to 1 meter (3-feet) high.
One of the missing seamen was named as Petty Officer Logan Palmer in a Facebook post by US Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, who said he was in touch with Palmer’s family.
Five sailors were injured in the crash, and a Singaporean air force helicopter airlifted four of them to a Singapore hospital.
Source: CNN