USS John S. McCain and Alnic MC collision

USS John S. McCain and MV Alnic MC collision
Damage sustained by John S. McCain
Date21 August 2017
Time5:24 a.m.
Locationeast of the Strait of Malacca
Causefatigued bridge crew, poor communication, and crowded shipping lanes
Casualties
10 sailors on USS John S. McCain

At 5:24 a.m. on 21 August 2017, USS John S. McCain, a United States Navy warship, was involved in a collision with the Liberian-flagged tanker Alnic MC off the coast of Singapore and Malaysia, east of the Strait of Malacca.[1][2][3] According to a U.S. Navy press release, the breach "resulted in flooding to nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms."[4] Ten US Navy sailors died as a result of the crash, which prompted the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore to start a multi-agency search-and-rescue (SAR) effort as the agency responsible for coordinating SAR operations within Singapore's Maritime Search and Rescue Region (MSRR).[5][6][3][7][8] The Singapore Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) also launched a marine safety investigation following the collision in accordance with the International Maritime Organisation's Casualty Investigation Code in Singapore's capacity as a coastal state, and published its final report on 8 March 2018.[9] The U.S. Navy announced on 24 August 2017 that it had suspended search-and-rescue efforts for survivors in the open sea to focus on the recovery of the remains of the missing sailors still inside the flooded compartments of the ship.[10] By 27 August, U.S. Navy and United States Marine Corps divers had recovered the remains of all ten sailors.[11] On 12 September 2017, the United States' chargé d'affaires Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath expressed thanks for Singapore's support during the SAR operations.[12] The McCain returned to service in June 2020.[13]

  1. ^ Flanagan, Ed; Stelloh, Tim (20 August 2017). "Navy Destroyer USS John S. McCain Collides With Merchant Ship East of Singapore". NBC News. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  2. ^ McKirdy, Euan; Lendon, Brad; Sciutto, Jim (22 August 2017). "'Some remains' of missing 10 sailors found after collision, admiral says". CNN. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b "UPDATE: USS John S. McCain Collides with Merchant Ship". U.S. Navy. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  4. ^ Global, IndraStra. "10 U.S. Navy Sailors Missing after USS John S McCain Collides with Oil Tanker". IndraStra. ISSN 2381-3652.
  5. ^ McKirdy, Euan (28 August 2017). "Remains of all 10 missing USS John S. McCain sailors recovered". CNN. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  6. ^ "U.S. Navy identifies 1 dead and 9 missing USS John S. McCain Sailors as search and rescue efforts suspended". Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. U.S. Navy. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  7. ^ Farrer, Martin; Holmes, Oliver (21 August 2017). "Pentagon orders temporary halt to US navy operations after second collision". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  8. ^ Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (21 August 2017). "Update 1 - Collision of US Guided-missile destroyer John S McCain and Tanker Alnic MC in Singapore Waters". Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  9. ^ Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Transport (Singapore) (8 March 2018). "Safety Investigation Into Collision Between Alnic MC and the USS John S McCain in Singapore Territorial Waters on 21 August 2017" (PDF). Ministry of Transport (Singapore). Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  10. ^ Cohen, Zachary (25 August 2017). "Navy suspends USS John McCain search and rescue efforts". CNN. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  11. ^ Varner, Jesse (28 August 2017). "All remains recovered of 10 sailors from USS John S. McCain collision". U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  12. ^ Leow, Annabeth (12 September 2017). "Top US diplomat thanks Singapore for recent warship search and rescue, hurricane aid". The Straits Times. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  13. ^ "USS John McCain Back to Operations Almost 3 Years After Fatal Collision". U.S. Naval Institute. 16 June 2020.