Remains of Some Missing U.S. Navy Sailors Found After USS John S. McCain Collides with Oil Tanker

Stephanie Petit
Updated
USS John S. McCain Collision, 10 Sailors Missing

Bodies of some of the 10 missing American soldiers were found after the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker near Singapore on Monday, according to the U.S. Navy.

The remains of some of the missing soldiers were found by divers performing recovery operations inside the ship, Adm. Scott Swift, the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of those sailors and the families of our sailors who were injured,” he said. “The search-and-rescue efforts continue.”

The ship suffered “significant damage” to the hull after it was hit by the 600-foot Alnic MC around 5:24 a.m. Singapore time on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

The Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged tanker is about three times the size of the McCain, the Navy Times reported.

The USS John S. McCain reached port in the city-state under its own power.

Four sailors were evacuated by helicopter to a hospital for treatment with non-life threatening injuries.

One of the injured sailors, Operations Specialist 2nd Class Navin Ramdhun shared that he was awaiting surgery for an arm injury via a Facebook post.

“I was actually sleeping at that time,” Ramdhun told AP, adding that he was “not entirely sure” what had happened.

The warship is named after John S. McCain, Sr., and John S. McCain, Jr., both Admirals in the U.S. Navy, and the grandfather and father Arizona Sen. John McCain.

“Cindy & I are keeping America’s sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight – appreciate the work of search & rescue crews,” the senator tweeted on Sunday night.

President Donald Trump also shared a statement on Twitter.

“Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway,” he wrote.

In June, seven sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a local merchant ship four times its size off the coast of Japan.

More than 200 sailors were aboard the U.S. Navy warship at the time — most aboard were expected to have been asleep in their berths when the vessels crashed into one another, the Associated Press reported.

The victims were Gary Rehm, 37, Ngoc Truong Huynh, 25, Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, Alexander Douglass, 25, Noe Hernandez, 26, Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, and Xavier Alec Martin, 24.