USS John McCain Collides With Merchant Vessel

Ten sailors are missing and five are hurt after the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain was involved in a collision Sunday with a merchant vessel near Singapore and the Strait of Malacca. Search and rescue efforts are underway, according to the U.S. Navy. The ship, based in Yokosuka, Japan, sustained damage to its port side, according to initial reports. The ship is able to sail to port under its own power, according to a statement from the Navy. “Our first priority is determining the safety of the ship and crew,” one U.S. admiral told NBC News. Sen. John McCain, the son and grandson of the ship’s namesakes, tweeted that he and his wife are “keeping America’s sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight—appreciate the work of search & rescue crews.” The collision comes two days after the senior officers of another destroyer based in Yokosuka, the USS Fitzgerald, were relieved of command following its June collision with a merchant ship.