Missing USS McCain sailors identified, US Navy suspends search

[Boats]

Missing USS McCain sailors identified, US Navy suspends search
By: US Navy/Reuters - 24 Aug, 2017 19:27
RE: https://www.rt.com/usa/400798-missin...rs-identified/

(Photo's of the missing men and their identity on site)

After more than 80 hours of efforts to find the missing USS John S McCain sailors in waters near Singapore, the US Navy has suspended search and rescue operations. The Navy has identified the nine sailors that remain missing and one who was confirmed dead.

The guided-missile destroyer collided with a commercial oil tanker east of Singapore on Monday. Ten sailors were reported missing, while five others were injured in the crash.

The collision caused significant hull damage, with flooding in berthing compartments as well as machinery and communication rooms, the Navy said.

On Thursday, the Navy said it will suspend the search of the area approximately 2,100 square miles east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, and continue search and recovery efforts inside the McCain’s flooded compartments.

One sailor’s remains have been recovered by Navy divers so far. He was identified as Kenneth Aaron Smit, 22, from New Jersey.

The nine sailors still considered missing are:

Nathan Findley, 31 from Missouri;
Abraham Lopez, 39, from Texas;
Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, from Maryland;
Daniel Drake, 21, from Ohio;
Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., 23, from Maryland;
Corey George Ingram, 28, from New York;
Louis Doyon, 26, from Connecticut;
Henry Hoagland III, 20, from Texas; and
Stephen Palmer, 23, from Illinois.

Multinational search efforts included ships and aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Navy, Singapore Air Force, Singapore Maritime Port Authority, Singapore Police Coast Guard, Royal Malaysian Navy, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Indonesian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.

Following the collision, the US Navy announced an “operational pause” in all its fleets for 24-48 hours and ordered a review of the “root causes” of a series of incidents at sea.

On Wednesday, the Navy relieved the commander of the US 7th fleet, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin “due to loss of confidence in his ability to command.” Aucoin was scheduled to retire next month.

The McCain’s collision was the fourth major accident involving 7th Fleet ships over a year-long period.

In June, the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan. Seven sailors died in the accident. About 35 sailors were in the sleeping area when the cargo ship’s bore tore a hole in the side of the Fitzgerald, causing the compartment to flood.

The destroyer's captain and executive officer were relieved of duty, after a Navy investigation.

In May, the guided missile cruiser USS Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing boat while conducting operations near the Korean Peninsula. No one was injured.

In January, another guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam, ran aground in Tokyo Bay.

There were no injuries but the ship spilled 1,100 gallons of hydraulic oil into the water off the coast of Japan, promoting environment concerns.

The USS McCain incident is under investigation to determine the facts and circumstances of the collision.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personal note: Our hearts & prayers go out to the families and shipmates of those that were lost. Boats

[Boats]

US Navy Recovers Remains of All Sailors from USS John S. McCain
8-28-17 Vice News
RE: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/b...cain-vice-news

The discovery of all ten sailors officially ends the recovery efforts from the crash.

The US Navy has now recovered the remains of all ten sailors who went missing after the American warship USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker near Singapore last week. The discovery officially ends recovery efforts from the crash, the Navy said in a statement Sunday.

Two bodies were discovered and identified last week in a multinational search and rescue effort spanning 5,524 m, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. Though search and rescue efforts were suspended Thursday, US Navy and Marine Corps divers continued searching flooded compartments of the ship for a week and found the remains of the other eight.

The fallen sailors were all young. Five of them had yet to celebrate their 26 birthday. The youngest of them, John Henry Hoagland III—an electronics technician from Texas—was just 20 years old.

Thoughts and Prayer's go out to the Naval Patriot's Family & Friends - Boats

[Boats]

Divers Recover Remains Of Missing Sailors From USS McCain Collision
August 28, 2017 8:37 AM
RE: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/08/...ins-recovered/

SINGAPORE (CBSNewYork/AP) — Divers have recovered the remains of all 10 sailors who went missing after the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker collided near Singapore last week, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

Navy and Marine Corps divers had been searching in flooded compartments of the destroyer for days after the damaged ship docked in Singapore. The cause of the Aug. 21 collision is under investigation.

The crash ripped a gash in the McCain’s hull, flooding crew berths and machinery and communications rooms.

The commander of the Navy’s Japan-based 7th Fleet was fired last week after a series of accidents this year raised questions about its operations. The firing of Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, a three-star admiral, was a rare dismissal of a high-ranking officer for operational reasons.

The Navy also ordered an operational pause for its fleets worldwide to make sure all steps are being taken to ensure safe and effective operations. The Pacific Fleet will also carry out a ship-by-ship review of its vessels, looking at navigation, mechanical systems, bridge resource management and training.

The victims ranged in age from 20 to 39 years old and came from eight U.S. states. Three were from the Tri-State area.

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, was from Suffield, Connecticut. Doyon enlisted in the Navy in April 2015 and reported to the USS John S. McCain, his first ship, in June 2016.

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey was a third-generation sailor, who worked in radar technology. He was in the fourth year of a seven-year commitment and had considered a military career like his father.

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram Poughkeepsie, New York was the oldest of three children. Ingram joined the Navy in 2008 after graduating from Poughkeepsie High School in 2006 and attending the local community college.

The other victims have been identified as:

— Charles Nathan Findley, 31, Electronics Technician 1st Class, from Amazonia, Missouri

— Abraham Lopez, 39, Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class, from El Paso, Texas

— Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, Electronics Technician 2nd Class, from Gaithersburg, Maryland

— Jacob Daniel Drake, 21, Electronics Technician 2nd Class, from Cable, Ohio

— Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., 23, Information Systems Technician 2nd Class, from Manchester, Maryland

— John Henry Hoagland III, 20, Electronics Technician 3rd Class, from Killeen, Texas

— Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class, from Decatur, Illinois

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)