U.S.S. Fitzgerald, a destroyer, was involved in a collision with a merchant vessel while operating about 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan according to a statement by the U.S. Military.
Collision took place around 2:30 am local time, June 17. Three compartments are flooded per the Pentagon. The incident will be investigated.
A U.S. official, (anonymous) said the destroyer had suffered damage, that there was some flooding, and that it could not operate on its own power.
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said that the commercial vessel is a Philippines container ship. A spokesman for the Philippines coast guard said he had heard of the accident but had no details since it was not in Philippine waters.
The U.S. Navy said it had requested the assistance of the Japanese Coast Guard.
SOURCES: Reuters and Fox News