U.S. Navy Destroyer Has Returned To Port After Colliding With A Container Ship But 7 Sailors Are Missing And Feared Dead -- News Updates

Daily Mail: Captain of stricken $1.5bn US Navy destroyer is airlifted to hospital as up to SEVEN sailors are missing or feared dead after it collided with 29,000 ton cargo ship off Japan

* Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippines merchant vessel off the coast of Japan Saturday
* US defense official said there are seven sailors unaccounted for and three injured, including the commander
* Rescuers are searching for seamen thought to be lost at sea or trapped inside the damaged naval vessel
* The Navy says damage occurred to the starboard side, above and below the Fitzgerald's waterline
* Bryce Benson was appointed Executive Officer of the Fitzgerald in 2015, took over as Commander last month

The captain of the stricken USS Fitzgerald was among those injured during the collision of the warship with a 29,000 ton cargo vessel as the US Navy said that up to seven missing sailors could be trapped in the mangled wreck.

Rescuers are working to reach the compartments below deck as the destroyer is tugged back to port without its captain Bryce Benson, who has been 'transferred to U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka and is reportedly in stable condition', according to a press statement from the US 7th Fleet.

The Wisconsin native, who took command of the AEGIS-equipped vessel in May of 2016, was med-evacuated along with two other crew members from the ship after the collision with the the container vessel ACX Crystal and is in a stable condition.

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WNU Editor: For more up to date coverage, the U.S. Navy's Twitter page is here. The Twitter feed on the collision is here.

U.S. Navy Destroyer Has Returned To Port After Colliding With A Container Ship But 7 Sailors Are Missing And Feared Dead -- News Updates

The Latest: Japan coast guard leads search for Navy sailors -- AP
The stricken destroyer Fitzgerald has returned home, but 7 sailors are still missing -- Navy Times
US, Japan search for 7 Navy sailors, puzzle over ship crash -- AP
Seven sailors missing after U.S. Navy destroyer collides with container ship in Japan -- Reuters
Seven US Navy crew missing, commander hurt in crash off Japan -- AFP
7 Sailors Missing, CO Injured After Destroyer USS Fitzgerald Collided with Philippine Merchant Ship -- USNI News
Destroyer USS Fitzgerald Badly Damaged After Collision With Merchant Vessel (Updated) -- The Drive
USS Fitzgerald: Massive search underway for 7 missing sailors after collision -- FOX News
7 sailors missing from USS Fitzgerald after collision off Japanese coast -- CBS
7 U.S. Sailors Unaccounted for After Navy Destroyer Collides With Ship Off Japan -- NBC
US sailors missing after Navy destroyer collision off Japan -- CNN
7 Navy Sailors Missing After U.S. Destroyer Collides With Merchant Vessel Off Japan -- NYT
Japan’s coast guard leads effort to find 7 missing U.S. sailors -- Washington Post
Sailors missing after U.S. Navy destroyer collides with ship in Pacific -- UPI
USS Fitzgerald: Seven sailors missing after US destroyer collides with merchant ship off Japan -- ABC News Online
US Navy sailors missing after USS Fitzgerald collides with Philippine container ship -- DW
Flooding in USS Fitzgerald After Collision With Philippine Vessel Stabilized -- Sputnik
7 missing, at least 3 injured as US Navy destroyer crashes into trade ship off Japan coast -- RT