Japanese tug hits US Navy destroyer at sea

US Navy destroyer USS Benfold collided with a tug on November 18, becoming the fifth US Navy ship to get involved in a collision in the Pacific this year.

The forward-deployed destroyer was participating in a scheduled towing exercise in Sagami Wan, south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshu, when the tug boat lost propulsion and drifted into the ship.

Unlike the previous two incidents in which destroyers USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald were heavily damaged, Benfold sustained minimal damage and no one was injured in the collision.

According to the US Navy, the commercial tug only scrapped USS Benfold on its side. A full damage assessment will identify the exact extent of damage however.

USS Benfold remains at sea under her own power while the Japanese commercial tug is being towed by another vessel to a port in Yokosuka.

The US Navy said the incident would be investigated.