Bodies found on doomed destroyer: Divers find some of the Navy’s seven missing sailors who were TRAPPED in flooded wreck of USS Fitzgerald after cargo ship hit – as investigators probe ‘negligence’
Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippines merchant vessel off the coast of Japan Saturday
US defense official had said there were 7 sailors unaccounted for and three injured, including the commander
Dakota Rigsby was identified Saturday night as one of the missing sailors from Fluvanna County, Virginia
Navy officials said a number of sailors have been found dead, but it’s unknown if Rigsby was among them
The Navy says damage occurred to the starboard side, above and below the Fitzgerald’s waterline
Bryce Benson was appointed Executive Officer of Fitzgerald in 2015, he took over as Commander last month
During press conference on Sunday Vice Adm Joseph Aucoin said Benson was ‘lucky to be alive’
Aucoin said ship was struck on side where 116 crew members were asleep and Benson’s cabin was destroyed
By Valerie Edwards and Mary Kekatos
DailyMail.com
18 June 2017
Several missing sailors have been found dead in the flooded berthing compartments of the US Navy destroyer that collided with a cargo ship early Saturday morning 56 miles from Japan.
According to the US 7th Fleet, the bodies were found Sunday morning by divers after the $1.5billion USS Fitzgerald returned to its base in Yokosuka.
The Navy refused to say how many of the seven missing sailors had been found – but revealed that 116 crew had been sleeping in the compartments that flooded when a 29,000 ton cargo ship crashed into the destroyer gouging a large hole in its hull below the water line.
The ship’s captain, Commander Bryce Benson, was asleep when the accident happened and his cabin was destroyed by the impact at 2.30am on Saturday.
Vice Adm Joseph Aucoin said Benson is ‘lucky to be alive’. Investigators in Japan are treating the crash as a result of ‘negligence’
The Navy issued a statement about the search and rescue once they gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision.
‘The missing Sailors were located in the flooded berthing compartments,’ according to a statement by the US 7th Fleet.
Authorities said the sailors are being transferred to Naval Hospital Yokosuka where they will be identified.
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