A top admiral has said that the US Navy will ‘consider’ whether two fatal crashes this summer could have been the result of a cyber attack.
Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said on Monday that there were ‘no indications right now’ that the two ships were hacked, but added investigators ‘will consider all possibilities’.
The shocking possibility emerged as the Navy ordered a broad investigation into the performance and readiness of the Pacific-based 7th Fleet.
Early Monday, the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in Southeast Asian waters, leaving 10 American sailors missing and several others injured.
It was the second major collision in the last two months involving the Navy’s 7th Fleet, after seven sailors died when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan in June.
Early Tuesday, three navies were hunting desperately for the McCain’s 10 missing sailors as the search and rescue mission dragged into a second day.
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Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said on Monday that investigators will consider whether ‘cyber intrusion or sabotage’ compromised two crashed warships
The collision east of Singapore between the 505-foot destroyer guided missile destroyer and the 600-foot Alnic MC ripped a gaping hole (above) in the destroyer’s hull
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday (pictured above) that Navy Adm. John Richardson 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
This is the second collision involving a ship from the Navy’s 7th Fleet in the Pacific in two months. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship hit each other in waters off Japan
Aircraft from the USS America and ships and aircraft from the navies of Malaysia and Singapore were focusing their search on an area east of the city-state where the two vessels collided early the day before at an approach to a busy shipping lane.
The McCain is now docked at Singapore’s naval base. The 7th Fleet said the McCain’s crew is emptying compartments that flooded when the collision ruptured its hull.
Richardson 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 on Monday.
‘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.
Mattis spoke to reporters in Amman, Jordan, where he is traveling.
Vessels and aircraft from the US, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia are currently searching for the 10 missing sailors.
Four other sailors were evacuated by a Singaporean navy helicopter to a hospital in the city-state for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. A fifth was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the destroyer arrived in Singapore under its own power.
There was no immediate explanation for the collision.
The Alnic MC tanker, pictured here outside Singapore, collided with the USS John S. McCain in the early hours of Monday morning
Ten sailors are missing and five were injured after the USS John S McCain was involved in a collision with a 600-foot oil tanker on Monday morning, the Navy said
A picture of the US guided-missile destroyer after the collision shows the ship riding low in the water with a hole in its side near its waterline
Singapore, at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the world’s busiest ports and a US ally, with its naval base regularly visited by American warships.
The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of China’s man-made islands in the South China Sea.
The collision east of Singapore between the 505-foot destroyer guided missile destroyer and the 600-foot Alnic MC ripped a gaping hole in the destroyer’s hull.
The Navy’s 7th Fleet said ‘significant damage’ to the McCain’s hull resulted in the flooding of adjacent compartments including crew berths, machinery and communications rooms. A damage control response prevented further flooding.
The destroyer was damaged on its port side aft, or left rear, in the 5.24am collision about 4.5 nautical miles 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.
A photo tweeted by Malaysian navy chief Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin showed a large rupture in the McCain’s side near the waterline. Janes, a defense industry publication, estimated the hull breach was 10 feet wide.
The crewmen were spotted on the deck of the USS John S McCain above a hole on the port side of its hull as it is towed into the Changi Navy Base off the eastern coast of Singapore
Another US naval vessel, the amphibious assault ship USS America, arrived in Singapore and deployed Osprey aircraft and Seahawk helicopters. It was helping with damage control on the McCain and with the search for the missing sailors. It also will feed and house sailors from the stricken ship.
One of the injured sailors, Operations Specialist 2nd Class Navin Ramdhun, posted a Facebook message telling family and friends he was okay and awaiting surgery for an arm injury. He told The Associated Press in a message that he couldn’t say what happened. ‘I was actually sleeping at that 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 front of the ship some 23 feet above its waterline. There were no reports of a chemical or oil spill.
Several safety violations were recorded for the oil tanker at its last port inspection in July, one fire safety deficiency and two safety-of-navigation problems. 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 US 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.
‘The chief of naval operations’ broader inquiry will look at all related accidents, incidents at sea’ involving ships of the 7th Fleet, Mattis said. ‘This is a broader look at what is happening.’
Richardson wants to ensure there aren’t bigger problems in the fleet that may be masked by the high pace of operations there and budget uncertainties, according to a Navy official. Beyond the tragedy of the lost lives and the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on repairs, Richardson wants to be sure that the Navy is able to meet the maritime demands, particularly in the Pacific region, the official said.
A view of a hole punctured in the hull USS John S. McCain after it was struck by the Alnic MC tanker
After the collision, the John McCain sailed under its own power and headed to port at Changi Naval Base in Singapore
Richardson has directed Adm. Phil Davidson, head of the Navy’s Fleet Forces, to lead the investigation. Davidson will assemble a panel of officers to help with the investigation and will have the full use of the Navy’s office of the inspector general as well as the safety center.
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.
US President Donald Trump expressed concern for the McCain’s crew. Returning to Washington from his New Jersey golf club, he responded, ‘That’s too bad’ when reporters shouted questions to him about the McCain. Later, Trump tweeted that ‘thoughts and prayers’ are with the McCain’s sailors.
The McCain is named after US Sen. John McCain’s father and grandfather, who were both US admirals. It’s based at the 7th Fleet’s homeport of Yokosuka, Japan. It was commissioned in 1994 and has a crew of 23 officers, 24 chief petty officers and 291 enlisted sailors, according the Navy’s website.
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.’
US Navy blames USS Fitzgerald fatalities on ‘poor seamanship and flaws in keeping watch’
Poor seamanship and flaws in keeping watch contributed to a collision between a Navy destroyer and a commercial container ship that killed seven sailors, Navy officials said, announcing that the warship captain will be relieved of command and more than a dozen other sailors will be punished.
Adm. William Moran, the vice chief of naval operations, said that the top three leaders aboard the USS Fitzgerald, which was badly damaged in the collision off the coast of Japan, will be removed from duty aboard the ship. They are the commanding officer, Cmdr. Bryce Benson; the executive officer, Cmdr. Sean Babbitt; and Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin, who as the ship’s command master chief is its most senior enlisted sailor.
‘The collision was avoidable, and both ships demonstrated poor seamanship,’ the Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement, noting that ‘flawed’ teamwork among those assigned to keep watch contributed to the collision.
Damage pictured on the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald off the Shimoda coast, after it collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship on June 17
Close up look at the damage to the ACX Crystal after it crashed with the USS Fitzgerald in June
The actions are being taken by Rear Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of the 7th Fleet, based at Yokosuka, Japan, because he lost confidence in the three, Moran said.
The Navy said the three had shown ‘inadequate leadership.’ Separately, seven junior officers were relieved of their duties because they had shown ‘poor seamanship’ and bad teamwork, 7th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Clay Doss said Friday.
Administrative penalties were handed out to seven others that were members of the watch teams, he said, without giving details. All 14 remain in the Navy, but they will be assigned to other jobs, he said.
The Navy’s investigation into how and why the USS Fitzgerald collided with the container ship in June has not yet been completed, but enough details were available to decide on Friday’s actions, the Navy said.
Doss said the specifics of what led to the collision were related to preparations for litigation and cannot be released.
‘Serious mistakes were made by members of the crew,’ Moran said, adding that he could not fully detail those mistakes because the investigation is ongoing.
Seven US Navy sailors were killed in the Fitzgerald collision in June. They are (top row, left to right) Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, CA; Gunner’s Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, VA; Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, CT; and Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, CA. Bottom row (left to right Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., from Elyria, OH; Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, MD; and Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, TX
He said ‘the bridge team,’ or the sailors responsible for keeping watch on the ship’s bridge to ensure it remains safe, had ‘lost situational awareness,’ which left them unable to respond quickly enough to avoid the disaster once the oncoming container ship was spotted.
Separately, the Navy released the results of a review of events that took place aboard the ship after the collision, focusing on the crew’s efforts to control damage, save lives and keep the ship afloat.
The crash occurred in the pre-dawn hours of June 17 off the coast of Japan in an accident-prone area known for congestion. That is within Japanese territorial waters. The seas were relatively calm, and visibility was unrestricted. The bow of the container ship, the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal, slammed into the Fitzgerald’s right side above the waterline, quickly flooding several areas inside the ship, including a berthing, or sleeping, area.
Of the 35 sailors who were in Berthing 2 at the time, 28 escaped. Seven drowned.
The collision knocked out external communications and cut power in the forward portion of the ship.
The Navy review of what happened aboard the ship following the collision found that the seven deaths could not be blamed on misconduct. It commended the response by the ship’s crew, singling out two sailors for taking extra steps to help other out of the flooded berthing space – actions that it said likely saved the lives of at least two of their shipmates.
‘No damage control efforts, however, would have prevented Berthing 2 from flooding completely within the first two minutes following the collision, or the deadly circumstances in that situation,’ the review said.
Within 30 to 60 seconds, the berthing was flooded, and the water was waist deep, the study said. Mattresses, furniture, an exercise bicycle were floating in the aisles.
The sailors tried to escape and helped each other, looking for their mates. One sailor got pinned between floating lockers and was barely able to pull himself free. The seven sailors who died were sleeping in the area closest to and directly in the path of the incoming water, the study found.
The report said that although some in Berthing 2 heard a loud noise at the time of the collision or were thrown from their beds by the force of the impact, some did not realize what had happened and remained in bed. Some remained asleep.
‘At least one sailor had to be pulled from his rack and into the water before he woke up,’ it said.
The Japanese and U.S. coast guards are conducting their own investigations.