Bodies of Two Navy Sailors Found Among Seven in USS Fitzgerald Collision

During the early hours of Saturday, June 17, an American destroyer sailed through the waters of Japan—the weather was clear but the day was still early; the sun had not yet risen.  At such an early hour, the majority of the crew aboard the destroyer were fast asleep while only a handful were awake, “standing watch, keeping the engines running, [and] manning the bridge.”

With a crew of countless naval officers and decades of experience, the destroyer seemed unstoppable—that was until before 2:20 AM (local Japanese time) when terror erupted.  There were minutes of sheer chaos when the destroyer collided with an enormous container ship, killing seven sailors.  The destroyer was the USS Fitzgerald.

On Sunday, June 18, the United States Navy identified the seven sailors who lost their lives due to the collision.  These include Dakota Kyle Rigsby (19) of Palmyra, Virginia; Alexander Douglass (25) of San Diego, California; Ngoc T Truong Huynh (25) of Oakville Connecticut; Noe Hernandez (26) of Weslaco, Texas; Ganzon Sibayan (23) of Chula Vista, California; Alec Martin (24) of Halethorpe, Maryland; and Leo Rehm (37) of Elyria, Ohio.  Naval divers recovered the bodies after the USS Fitzgerald was returned to base in Yokosuka, Japan.

It is reported that one of the sailors, “was knocked out of his bunk by the impact, and water immediately began filling the berth, after their destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship four times its size off the Japanese coast.”  Mia Sykes, a mother to a U.S. Navy ensign, says that four men in his berth died while another three in the berth above him also met the same fate.  She notes, “They did what they were trained to do.  You have to realize most of them are 18, 19 and 20-year-olds living with guilt.  But I told him, ‘There’s a reason you’re still here and make that count.’”

As many other family members of U.S. Navy sailors wish for a safe return home, all within the military community feel a great sadness for those lost in the accident.  Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, commander of the United States Navy’s 7^th Fleet, describes the daunting scene as sailors worked tirelessly to prevent the Fitzgerald from sinking.  Describing the damage to be a large cavity near the keel, he says, “So the water flow was tremendous, and so there wasn’t a lot of time in those spaces that were open to the sea.  And as you can see now, the ship is still listing, so they had to fight the ship to keep it above the surface.  It was traumatic.”

As measures are taken to repair the Fitzgerald and ease the pain of many victims, it can be seen that this collision was no minor occurrence.  With reparations being made, the Japanese coast guard continues to investigate the details regarding the accident.

Featured Image via Navy Live