YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) - The U.S. Navy says the bodies of sailors who went missing in the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship have been found aboard the stricken destroyer.

 

The Navy says in a statement that searchers had gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision. A total of seven sailors had been missing since Saturday's crash off Japan's coast.

 

The Navy says the remains are being transferred to Naval Hospital Yokosuka where they will be identified.

 

It says the families are being notified and being provided the support they need during "this difficult time." The names of the sailors will be released after all notifications are made.</s>The Navy called off the search Sunday for seven sailors missing from the USS Fitzgerald after several bodies were found in the flooded destroyer, which had collided with a container ship off Japan.

The destroyer has a crew of about 300 and most were asleep when the ship collided early Saturday with the Philippine-flagged container ship ACX Crystal that was more than three times larger. Navy divers found “a number of” bodies in the ship Sunday, a day after tugs dragged the ship to the 7th Fleet’s home base in Yokosuka, Japan.

The Navy didn’t release the number of bodies found, pending notification of next of kin. About 200 sailors were aboard the ship at the time of the collision.

“The damage was significant, this was not a small collision,” said Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the Navy’s 7th Fleet.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent a sympathy message Sunday to President Trump.

“We are struck by deep sorrow,” expressing condolences and sympathy “straight from my heart” to the victims and the injured, Abe said in the statement. “I express my heartfelt solidarity to America at this difficult time,” praising U.S. servicemen in Japan under the allies’ bilateral security pact.

Trump posted a message Saturday on Twitter expressing his concern for the sailors and his appreciation to Japan for its assistance.

The Fitzgerald’s captain, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was airlifted from the ship’s deck with a head injury. Two other crew members who suffered cuts and bruises were also flown out.

“You can’t see most of the damage, the damage is mostly underneath the waterline, and it’s a large gash near the keel of the ship,” Aucoin said. “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.”

Relatives of the sailors were awaiting word about their loved ones. Rita Schrimsher, of Athens, Ala., told the Associated Press that she was relieved after speaking with her 23-year-old grandson Jackson Schrimsher.

“It could have been worse so we’re grateful,” she said.

Aucoin wouldn’t speculate on the cause of the collision in an area busy with sea traffic. He said he would order a full and thorough investigation.</s>YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — U.S. and Japanese vessels and aircraft were searching Saturday for seven American sailors who were missing after their Navy destroyer collided before dawn with a container ship four times its size off the coast of Japan.

The USS Fitzgerald was back at its home port in Japan early Saturday evening, its bridge listing to its right as it sat in the harbor at Yokosuka Naval Base, south of Tokyo. The ship was flanked by two tug boats that had helped it get back to port, and crew members could been seen on deck, waiting to disembark.

The destroyer USS Dewey helped stabilize the USS Fitzgerald after it collided with the Philippine-flagged container ship, and then joined other American and Japanese vessels and aircraft searching for the missing crew members.

At least three Navy sailors were injured, in addition to the seven missing.

Family members were frantically seeking news, appealing via social media for calls from sailors aboard from the ship.

The U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement that the crash damaged two berthing spaces, a machinery room and the radio room.

Most of the more than 200 sailors aboard would have been asleep in their berths at the time of the pre-dawn crash.

Water was being pumped out of flooded areas and it was unclear how long it would take to get into the crushed mid-right side of the ship once it was at the pier in Yokosuka, it said.

The ship’s captain, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was airlifted early Saturday to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka and was in stable condition with a head injury, the Navy said. Two other crew members

 suffered cuts and bruises and were evacuated. It was unclear how many others may have been hurt.

The Navy said that the collision occurred 56 nautical miles (103 kilometers) southwest of Yokosuka, home to the 7th Fleet.

“Right now we are focused on two things: the safety of the ship and the well-being of the sailors,” said Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

An investigation was underway to determine what caused the nighttime collision between the destroyer and the container ship.

The Japanese Coast Guard said it was questioning crew members of the Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal to investigate the cause of the collision. The ship, operated by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen K.K., arrived at Oi pier in Tokyo Bay on Saturday afternoon.

Officials are investigating the case as possible professional negligence, said Masayuki Obara, a regional official with the Japanese coast guard.

Conditions were clear at the time of the collision, though Yutaka Saito of the coast guard said the area is particularly busy with sea traffic.

The coast guard said it received an emergency call from the ACX Crystal reporting the collision at around 2:20 a.m. (1720 GMT Friday).

The names of the missing sailors were being withheld pending notification of their families. U.S. Navy personnel set up support and counseling services to help families as they sought updates on crew members.

“Just heard the sweetest voice and saw a wonderful face. He’s okay. Thank you all for the prayers,” Rita Schrimsher of Athens, Alabama, tweeted after speaking with her 23-year-old grandson, Jackson Schrimsher, via Facetime.

“It could have been worse, so we’re grateful,” she said by phone.

The Philippine ship weighs 29,060 tons and is 222 meters (730 feet) long, the coast guard said, much larger than the 8,315-ton Navy destroyer. The container ship’s left bow was dented and scraped, but it did not appear to have sustained any major structural damage.

Nippon Yusen K.K., the Japanese shipping company that operates the container ship, said all of its 20-member Filipino crew was safe.

 ___

 Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi and Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo and Cathy Bussewitz and Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu contributed to this report.</s>In this Saturday, June 17, 2017, photo, the container ship ACX Crystal with its left bow dented and scraped after colliding with the USS Fitzgerald in the waters off the Izu Peninsula earlier in the day, is berthed at the Oi Container Terminal in Tokyo. The search for seven U.S. Navy sailors missing after their destroyer collided with the container ship called off Sunday after several bodies were found in the ship's flooded compartments, including sleeping quarters.

Start the conversation, or Read more at KXAN-TV Austin.</s>The US Navy on Sunday released the names of the seven sailors who died when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant vessel on Saturday.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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Rescue crews searched into the early hours on Sunday for seven American sailors missing after a U.S. destroyer collided with a container ship in the pre-dawn hours off the coast of Japan.

TOKYO: Rescue crews searched into the early hours on Sunday for seven American sailors missing after a U.S. destroyer collided with a container ship in the pre-dawn hours off the coast of Japan.

U.S. 7th Fleet Vice Admiral Joseph P. Aucoin said the search was continuing in a statement released nearly 24 hours after the USS Fitzgerald, an Aegis guided missile destroyer, collided with the much larger Philippine-flagged merchant vessel 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka.

"It's been a tough day for our Navy family. It's hard to imagine what this crew has had to endure, the challenges they've had to overcome," Aucoin said.

U.S. and Japanese aircraft and surface vessels continued the search after the Fitzgerald sailed into the port of Yokosuka south of Tokyo. Three aboard the destroyer were treated at the U.S. Naval Hospital, including ship Commander Bryce Benson.

It was not clear what caused the collision, which the U.S. Navy said occurred at about 2:30 a.m. local time (1730 GMT).

"Thoughts and prayers with the sailors of USS Fitzgerald and their families. Thank you to our Japanese allies for their assistance," U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Twitter post on Saturday.

The Fitzgerald suffered damage on her starboard side above and below the waterline, the Navy said.

Japan's Nippon Yusen KK, which charters the container ship, ASX Crystal, said in a statement it would "cooperate fully" with the Coast Guard's investigation of the incident. At around 29,000 tons displacement, the ship dwarfs the 8,315-ton U.S. warship, and was carrying 1,080 containers from the port of Nagoya to Tokyo.

None of the 20 crew members aboard the container ship, all Filipino, were injured, and the ship was not leaking oil, Nippon Yusen said. The ship arrived at Tokyo Bay later in the day.

The waterways approaching Tokyo Bay are busy with commercial vessels sailing to and from Japan’s two biggest container ports in Tokyo and Yokohama.</s>YOKOSUKA, Japan — U.S. and Japanese vessels and aircraft searched Saturday for seven American sailors who were missing after their Navy destroyer collided before dawn with a container ship four times its size off the coast of Japan.

The USS Fitzgerald was back at its home port in Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo by sunset Saturday, its crew lined up on deck. The Philippine-flagged container ship was berthed at Tokyo’s Oi wharf, where officials began questioning crew members about the cause of the nighttime crash.

After helping stabilize the USS Fitzgerald, the destroyer USS Dewey joined other American and Japanese vessels and aircraft in the search for the missing sailors.

At least three other Navy sailors were injured in the crash.

Family members were frantically seeking news, appealing via social media for calls from sailors aboard from the ship.

The U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement that the crash damaged two berthing spaces, a machinery room and the radio room. Most of the more than 200 sailors aboard would have been asleep in their berths at the time of the pre-dawn crash.

Water was being pumped out of flooded areas and it was unclear how long it would take to get into the crushed mid-right side of the ship once it was at the pier in Yokosuka, the statement said.

“This has been a difficult day,” said Vice Adm. Joseph P. Aucoin, the commander of the 7th Fleet. “I am humbled by the bravery and tenacity of the Fitzgerald crew. Now that the ship is in Yokosuka, I ask that you help the families by maintaining their privacy as we continue the search for our shipmates.”

The USS Fitzgerald’s captain, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was airlifted early Saturday to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka and was in stable condition with a head injury, the Navy said. Two other crew members suffered cuts and bruises and were evacuated. It was unclear how many others may have been hurt.

The Navy said that the collision occurred 56 nautical miles (103 kilometres) southwest of Yokosuka, home to the 7th Fleet.

“Right now we are focused on two things: the safety of the ship and the well-being of the sailors,” said Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The Japanese coast guard said it received an emergency call from the container ship, the ACX Crystal, reporting the collision at around 2:20 a.m. (1720 GMT Friday). It was questioning crew members of the ACX Crystal, which is operated by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen K.K., and was treating the incident as a case of possible professional negligence, said Masayuki Obara, a regional coast guard official.

“Thoughts and prayers with the sailors of USS Fitzgerald and their families,” President Donald Trump said on Twitter. “Thank you to our Japanese allies for their assistance.”

The ACX Crystal weighs 29,060 tons and is 222 metres (730 feet) long, the coast guard said, much larger than the 8,315-ton Navy destroyer. The container ship’s left bow was dented and scraped, but it did not appear to have sustained any major structural damage.

Nippon Yusen said all of the ACX Crystal’s 20-member Filipino crew members were safe.

Conditions were clear at the time of the collision, though Yutaka Saito of the coast guard said the area is particularly busy with sea traffic.

The names of the missing sailors were being withheld pending notification of their families. U.S. Navy personnel set up support and counselling services to help families as they sought updates on crew members.

“Just heard the sweetest voice and saw a wonderful face. He’s okay. Thank you all for the prayers,” Rita Schrimsher of Athens, Alabama, tweeted after speaking with her 23-year-old grandson, Jackson Schrimsher, via Facetime.

“It could have been worse, so we’re grateful,” she said by phone.

Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi and Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo and Cathy Bussewitz and Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu contributed to this report.</s>(YOKOSUKA, Japan) — Aircraft and vessels are searching for seven missing American sailors in the sea off Japan after a pre-dawn collision between a Navy destroyer and a huge cargo ship.

Investigators now face trying to determine how a sophisticated U.S. warship collided with a container ship four times its size.

The USS Fitzgerald was back at its home port in Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo on Saturday with extensive damage to its hull.

Most of the more than 200 sailors aboard would have been asleep in their berths during the pre-dawn crash.

The Navy says the ship was damaged above and below the water line.

President Donald Trump has thanked Japan for its help in the search.

Trump tweeted Saturday morning Washington time: "Thoughts and prayers with the sailors of USS Fitzgerald and their families. Thank you to our Japanese allies for their assistance."

The USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship four times its size off the coast of Japan before dawn Saturday.</s>The search for seven missing U.S. Navy sailors was called off Sunday after several bodies were recovered from the flooded compartments of the destroyer.

Commander of the Navy’s 7th Fleet told the grim news to reporters at a Navy base in Yokosuka, just south of Tokyo. Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin wouldn’t say how many bodies were found but said the identities of the sailors would be released following notification of the families.

The bodies were found in previously flooded compartments, including sleeping quarters.

Searchers gained access to these spaces that were damaged during the collision and brought the remains to Naval Hospital Yokosuka where they are to be identified, the Navy said in a statement.

The USS Fitzgerald was back at its home port in Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo by sunset Saturday. The Philippine-flagged container ship was berthed at Tokyo’s Oi wharf, where officials were questioning crew members about the cause of the nighttime crash.

After stabilizing the USS Fitzgerald, the destroyer USS Dewey had joined other American and Japanese vessels and aircraft in the search for the missing sailors.

The U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement that the crash damaged two berthing spaces, a machinery room and the radio room. Most of the more than 200 sailors aboard would have been asleep in their berths at the time of the pre-dawn crash.

Water was being pumped out of flooded areas and it was unclear how long it would take to get into the crushed mid-right side of the ship once it was at the pier in Yokosuka, the statement said.

Nippon Yusen, the Japanese shipping company that operates the container ship, said in a statement it is collaborating with the ship owner and fully cooperating with the investigation by the coast guard. The 29,060-ton ship is Philippine-flagged and all the crew are Filipinos.

The USS Fitzgerald’s captain, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was airlifted early Saturday to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka and was in stable condition with a head injury, the Navy said. Two other crew members suffered cuts and bruises and were evacuated. It was unclear how many others may have been hurt.

The Navy said that the collision occurred 56 nautical miles (103 kilometers) southwest of Yokosuka, home to the 7th Fleet.

“Right now we are focused on two things: the safety of the ship and the well-being of the sailors,” said Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Conditions were clear at the time of the collision, though Yutaka Saito of the coast guard said the area is particularly busy with sea traffic.

The names of the sailors were being withheld pending notification of their families. U.S. Navy personnel set up support and counseling services to help families as they sought updates on crew members.

“Just heard the sweetest voice and saw a wonderful face. He’s okay. Thank you all for the prayers,” Rita Schrimsher of Athens, Alabama, tweeted after speaking with her 23-year-old grandson, Jackson Schrimsher, via Facetime.

“It could have been worse, so we’re grateful,” she said by phone.

The Associated Press contributed to this report</s>YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — The U.S. Navy says the bodies of sailors who went missing in the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship have been found aboard the stricken destroyer.

The Navy says in a statement that searchers had gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision. A total of seven sailors had been missing since Saturday’s crash off Japan’s coast.

The Navy says the remains are being transferred to Naval Hospital Yokosuka where they will be identified.

It says the families are being notified and being provided the support they need during “this difficult time.” The names of the sailors will be released after all notifications are made.
Rescuers find the bodies of seven United States Navy sailors who were missing after the prior day's collision between the USS Fitzgerald and the MV ACX Crystal off the coast of Yokosuka, Japan.