{"id":322562,"date":"2017-08-21T03:08:36","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T02:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/5-injured-10-missing-after-us-destroyer-uss-john-s-mccain-collides-with-oil-tanker-off-singapore\/"},"modified":"2017-08-21T03:08:36","modified_gmt":"2017-08-21T02:08:36","slug":"5-injured-10-missing-after-us-destroyer-uss-john-s-mccain-collides-with-oil-tanker-off-singapore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/5-injured-10-missing-after-us-destroyer-uss-john-s-mccain-collides-with-oil-tanker-off-singapore\/","title":{"rendered":"5 injured, 10 missing after US destroyer USS John S McCain collides with oil tanker off Singapore"},"content":{"rendered":"

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At least 5 sailors have been injured and 10 are missing after a US guided-missile destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, \u201csustained damage\u201d in collision with a merchant vessel while on a routine port visit to Singapore, the US Navy has said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cInitial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft,\u201d<\/em> the US Navy said<\/a>, noting that the incident happened while \u201cthe ship was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe extent of damage and personnel injuries is being determined,\u201d<\/em> the statement said. The condition of the wounded is yet unknown, the navy said in a follow-up statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The US warship reportedly hit AN Alnic MC vessel.\u00a0The damage to the merchant vessel is also yet unknown.<\/p>\n

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Our first priority is determining the safety of the ship and crew. As more information is learned, we will share it. https:\/\/t.co\/E7j7CvKE2b<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adm. John Richardson (@CNORichardson) August 21, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Although the US warship is sailing on its own power and heading to port, the navy announced that a search-and-rescue mission was under way in coordination with local authorities.<\/p>\n

Tug boats, coast guard and Singapore navy vessels and helicopters are all involved in the rescue efforts, in addition to MV-22s and SH-60s aircraft from the USS America.<\/p>\n

Admiral John Michael Richardson, who currently serves as the 31st Chief of Naval Operations, said the Navy\u2019s top priority was \u201cdetermining the safety of the ship and crew,\u201d<\/em> promising to share more details of the incident when it becomes available.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Senator John Sidney McCain III, after whose father and grandfather \u2013 both US admirals \u2013 the vessel was named, tweeted words of support to America’s sailors.<\/p>\n

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Cindy & I are keeping America’s sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight – appreciate the work of search & rescue crews https:\/\/t.co\/jzk9giXbfg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) August 21, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The merchant vessel Alnic is 182 meters (600 feet) long and has a dead weight of 50,760 tons, the Washington Post reported.\u00a0The ship has a 30,000+ ton oil\/chemical tank and was built in 2007. The Alnic sails under the Liberian flag and is reportedly operated by Stealth Maritime Corporation S.A.<\/p>\n

The USS McCain is a 505-foot-long Arleigh Burke-class destroyer based at the 7th Fleet\u2019s home port in Yokosuka, Japan, and was commissioned in 1994. Earlier this month, it sailed within a 12-mile range of Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly islands chain in the South China Sea. Donald Trump also referred to the warship as a show of force during the latest verbal exchange amid escalating tensions with North Korea.<\/p>\n

The incident marks the second US warship collision with a trade vessel this summer. On 17 June 2017, seven American sailors were killed after the USS Fitzgerald destroyer collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship some 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan.<\/p>\n