Free Republic

The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday issued four safety recommendations in its final report on the agency’s investigation of the fatal June 17, 2017 collision between the destroyer USS Fitzgerald and the containership ACX Crystal.

TOKYO, June 26 (Reuters) - A U.S. warship struck by a container vessel in Japanese waters failed to respond to warning signals or take evasive action before a collision that killed seven of its crew, according to a report of the incident by the Philippine cargo ship's captain. Multiple U.S. and Japanese investigations are under way into how the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald and the much larger ACX Crystal container ship collided in clear weather south of Tokyo Bay in the early hours of June 17 Those who died were in their berthing compartments, while the Fitzgerald's commander was...

Investigators Believe USS Fitzgerald Crew Fought Flooding For An Hour Before Distress Call Reached Help By: Sam LaGrone The crew of the guided-missile destroyer that was struck by a merchant ship on Friday off the coast of Japan fought to save the ship for an hour before the first calls went out for help, Japanese investigators now believe. According to the current operational theory of Japanese investigators, the deadly collision between USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) and the Philippine-flagged merchant ship ACX Crystal knocked out the destroyer’s communications for an hour, while the four-times-larger merchant ship was unaware of what it hit...

The deadly collision between a U.S. destroyer and a container ship June 17 took place while the freighter was on autopilot, according to Navy officials. The Philippines-flagged cargo ship ACX Crystal was under control of a computerized navigation system that was steering and guiding the container vessel, according to officials familiar with preliminary results of an ongoing Navy investigation. Investigators so far found no evidence the collision was deliberate.

YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA PREF. – The mother of a U.S. Navy sailor who survived. Brayden Harden, was knocked out of his bunk by the impact, water immediately began filling the berth. Sykes says her son told her that four men in his berth, including those sleeping on bunks above and below him, died, while three died in the berth above his. Her son kept diving to try to save his shipmates until the flooded berth began running out of air pockets, while others — believing the ship was under attack — hurried to man the guns. The ships collided about 2:20...