SINGAPORE (AP) - The U.S. Navy ordered a broad investigation Monday into the performance and readiness of the Pacific-based 7th Fleet after an early morning collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker in Southeast Asian waters left 10 U.S. sailors missing and others injured. Ten U.S. sailors were missing after a collision between the USS McCain, a destroyer and the tanker, the second involving a U.S. warship and a merchant ship in Asia in about two months, triggering a fleet-wide probe of operations and training. Richardson said a comprehensive review would examine the training of U.S. forces deployed to Japan “to make sure we are doing everything we can to make them ready for operations and warfighting.”

This would include looking at “operational tempo, trends in personnel, materiel, maintenance and equipment.”

The review would be conducted on “a very tight timeline” Richardson said, adding: “We need to get to the bottom of this.”

JUNE INCIDENT

The John S. McCain’s sister ship, the Fitzgerald, almost sank off the coast of Japan after colliding with a Philippine container ship on June 17. Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, will call for a pause in operations and seek a deeper look at how the Navy trains and certifies its forces that are operating around Japan, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said

"He has put together a broader inquiry to look into these incidents," Mattis said, referring to the two recent collisions and other accidents at sea. Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian ships and aircraft joined the search for the missing sailors, the U.S. Navy said. Four of those were flown by a Singapore navy helicopter to a hospital in Singapore, where they were treated for injuries not considered life-threatening, the Navy said. A fifth was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the destroyer arrived in Singapore under its own power, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said. He is going to look at all factors, not just the immediate one." Singapore, at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the world's busiest ports and a U.S. ally, with its naval base regularly visited by American warships. The warship had been heading for a routine stop in Singapore after carrying out a "freedom of navigation operation" in the disputed South China Sea earlier in August around a reef in the Spratly Islands, sparking a furious response from Beijing. The collision east of Singapore between the 154-meter (505-foot) destroyer guided missile destroyer and the 183-meter (600-foot) Alnic MC ripped a gaping hole in the destroyer's hull. The US Navy said there was "significant damage to the hull" of the warship in the latest collision, which led to flooding of crew sleeping areas, machinery and communications rooms. "Damage control efforts by the crew halted further flooding," they said in a statement. The destroyer was damaged on its port side aft, or left rear, in the 5:24 a.m. collision about 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 kilometers) from Malaysia's coast but was able to sail on to Singapore's naval base. Malaysia's Maritime Enforcement Agency said the area is at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the Singapore Strait, one of the world's busiest. Another U.S. naval vessel, the amphibious assault ship USS America, arrived in Singapore and was helping with damage control efforts on the McCain and with the search for the missing sailors. One of the injured sailors, Operations Specialist 2nd Class Navin Ramdhun, posted a Facebook message telling family and friends he was OK and awaiting surgery for an arm injury. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

TENSE TIME

The accidents have come at a tense time. Not entirely sure.”

The Singapore government said no crew were injured on the Liberian-flagged Alnic, which sustained damage to a compartment at the starboard, or right, side at the front of the ship some 7 meters (23 feet) above its waterline. The tanker involved in the collision, which was used for transporting oil and chemicals and weighed over 30,000 gross tonnes, sustained some damage but no crew were injured, and Singapore said there was no oil pollution. US helicopters and Marine Corps Osprey aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS America were joining search-and-rescue efforts along with Singaporean ships and helicopters, the Navy said. The official database for ports in Asia doesn't go into details and the problems were apparently not serious enough for the Liberian-flagged vessel to be detained by the port authority. The U.S. Navy review will look at the 7th Fleet's performance, including personnel, navigation capabilities, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, munitions, certifications and how sailors move through their careers. US Defence Secretary James Mattis, on a visit to Jordan, said Richardson's "broader enquiry will look at all related accidents, incidents at sea, that sort of thing. Admiral Richardson has directed Admiral Phil Davidson, head of the Navy's Fleet Forces, to lead the investigation. This requires urgent action and se need to get to it and take corrective action.”

In the June collision, the Fitzgerald’s captain was relieved of his command and other sailors were being punished after the Navy found poor seamanship and flaws in keeping watch contributed to the collision. An investigation into how and why the Fitzgerald collided with the other ship was not finished, but enough details were known to take those actions, the Navy said. Following the accident, President Donald Trump arrived at the White House on Marine One and told reporters of the collision, "That's too bad." U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted: “Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway.”

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters August 21, 2017. The John S. McCain is named for the father and grandfather of U.S. Republican Senator John McCain, who were both admirals. A US 7th Fleet spokesman said the McCain is one of 14 Aegis-equipped ships the Navy has forward-deployed to Japan and it plans to add another next year. The U.S. Navy said last week it had removed the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor on the Fitzgerald following an investigation into that collision. McCain said on Twitter that he and his wife, Cindy, are “keeping America’s sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight — appreciate the work of search & rescue crews.”

Baldor reported from Muscat, Oman.
The United States Navy's USS John S. McCain collides with the Liberian-flagged Alnic MC near Singapore. Rescue efforts are underway with ten sailors reported as missing.