The remains of all 10 missing sailors from the collision between a tanker and warship USS John S. McCain off Singapore have been found.
Divers from the US Navy and Marine Corps have since recovered the bodies of the fallen sailors, according to the US 7th Fleet in a statement. Their identities have been released as well:
- Electronics Technician 1st Class Charles Nathan Findley, 31, from Amazonia, Missouri
- Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Abraham Lopez, 39, from El Paso, Texas
- Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, from Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jacob Daniel Drake, 21, from Cable, Ohio
- Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., 23, from Manchester, Maryland
- Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram, 28, from Poughkeepsie, New York
- Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, from Suffield, Connecticut
- Electronics Technician 3rd Class John Henry Hoagland III, 20, from Killeen, Texas
- Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, from Decatur, Illinois
- Electronics Technician 3rd Class, Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
The remains of Doyon and Smith, in particular, were found and identified earlier on Aug 24.
It was on Aug 21 that the guided-missile destroyer got into a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The incident prompted a multinational search effort for the 10 missing American sailors — a search that was suspended after more than 80 hours. Divers continued recovery efforts inside the USS John S. McCain itself, which was left with a gain hole in its hull.
There have been a total of four accidents involving American warships in the Pacific this year, sparking concerns that the US Navy is overstretched as it tackles China’s growing assertiveness and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
“The incident is under investigation to determine the facts and circumstances of the collision,” stated the 7th Fleet.
