Navy IDs 1 victim, suspends search for 9 missing from USS McCain
The U.S. Navy says a multinational search has been suspended in the ocean near Singapore for sailors still missing from a collision between a destroyer and an oil tanker, and that it has identified the remains of one victim.
The 7th Fleet said divers will continue to search flooded compartments inside the ship, where some remains have been found. The Navy has not provided specifics.
Ten sailors went missing and five others were injured in the accident, which occurred Monday as the USS John S. McCain was heading to Singapore for a routine port call.
The fleet said it had identified the remains of Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, from New Jersey.
The commander of the 7th Fleet was relieved of duty Wednesday following the collision and other accidents this year that raised questions about its operations in the Pacific. Seven sailors died in June when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off Japan. Two lesser-known incidents occurred earlier in the year.
