The damage of the right side of the USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The U.S. Navy says the USS Fitzgerald suffered damage below the water line on its starboard side after it collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant ship. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) - Seven Navy sailors were missing and the captain and at least two others were injured after a U.S. destroyer and a container ship collided off the coast of Japan before dawn Saturday, the U.S. Navy and Japanese coast guard reported.
Rescuers were searching for the seven sailors who were thought to have been thrown into the sea or possibly trapped inside damaged sections of the destroyer, said Japanese coast guard spokesman Yoshihito Nakamura. None of the crew of the container ship was reported injured.
Footage from the Japanese TV network NHK showed Navy crew members working to pump water from flooded sections of the mid-right side of the USS Fitzgerald.
The ship's captain, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was airlifted to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka and was in stable condition, the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement. Two other crew suffered cuts and bruises and were evacuated, it said. It was unclear how many others may have been hurt.
The Fitzgerald had limited propulsion after suffering damage on the right side below the water line and a U.S. defense official said there was flooding in three compartments. It wasn't clear yet what caused the nighttime collision between the destroyer and the container ship four times its size. Most of the more than 200 sailors aboard would have been asleep in their berths, some of which were reportedly flooded.
The area is particularly busy with sea traffic, said Yutaka Saito of the coast guard.
The Navy, Japanese maritime defense vessels and the coast guard were working to stabilize the destroyer as it headed to shore, said Navy chief Adm. John Richardson. The Navy said that the collision occurred 56 nautical miles (103 kilometers) southwest of Yokosuka, which is home to the 7th Fleet.
"Right now we are focused on two things: the safety of the ship and the well-being of the sailors," said Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The Japan coast guard said it received an emergency call from a Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal around 2:20 a.m. (1720 GMT Friday) that it had collided with the Fitzgerald southwest of Yokusuka, Japan.
Relatives of crew members were awaiting news of their loved ones.
"Just heard the sweetest voice and saw a wonderful face. He's okay. Thank you all for the prayers," Rita Schrimsher of Athens, Alabama, tweeted after speaking with her 23-year-old grandson Jackson Schrimsher via Facetime.
"It could have been worse so we're grateful," she said by phone.
The Philippine ship is 29,060 tons and is 222 meters (730 feet) long, the coast guard said, much larger than the 8,315-ton naval destroyer. Aerial television news footage showed its bow on the left side was dented and scraped, but it did not appear to have suffered any major structural damage.
The fleet said the USS Dewey, medical assistance, Navy tugs and naval aircraft were dispatched. The Japan coast guard dispatched five patrol ships and an aircraft carrying medics to the site for search and rescue operations.
The Navy's Pacific Fleet said the extent of damage to the Fitzgerald was being determined and the incident was under investigation.
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Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi and Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo and Cathy Bussewitz and Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu contributed to this report.
In this photo released by Japan's Defense Ministry, an injured USS Fitzgerald personnel is carried by U.S. military personnel, left, and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force members upon arriving to the U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, after the U.S. destroyer collided with the Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal in the waters off the Izu Peninsula Saturday, June 17, 2017. Seven Navy sailors were missing and at least two, including the captain, were injured after the collision off the coast of Japan before dawn Saturday, the U.S. Navy and Japanese coast guard reported. (Japan's Defense Ministry via AP)
The Associated Press
U.S. military personnel prepare to transfer an injured on board USS Fitzgerald, off Izu Peninsula, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The Japan coast guard said it received an emergency call from a Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal early Saturday that it had collided with the Fitzgerald southwest of Yokusuka, Japan. (Japan's Defense Ministry via AP)
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The damage of Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal is seen off Izu Oshima, Japan, after it collided with the USS Fitzgerald, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The Japan coast guard said it received an emergency call from a Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal early Saturday that it had collided with the USS Fitzgerald. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
CORRECTS DATE - The USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, Saturday, June 17, 2017. Seven crew members are missing and one injured after the U.S. Navy destroyer collided early Saturday morning with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, the country's coast guard reported. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
CORRECTS DATE - The Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal is seen off Izu Oshima, Japan, after it collided with the USS Fitzgerald southwest of Yokusuka, Japan, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The U.S. Navy says the USS Fitzgerald suffered damage below the water line on its starboard side after it collided with the Philippine-flagged merchant ship. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
CORRECTS DATE - The USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The Japan Coast Guard said it received an emergency call from a Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal early Saturday that it had collided with the USS Fitzgerald southwest of Yokusuka, Japan. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
CORRECTS DATE - The damage of Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal is seen off Izu Oshima, Japan, after it had collided with the USS Fitzgerald southwest of Yokusuka, Japan, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The U.S. Navy says the USS Fitzgerald suffered damage below the water line on its starboard side after it collided with the Philippine-flagged merchant ship. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
CORRECTS DATE - The USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The U.S. Navy says the USS Fitzgerald suffered damage below the water line on its starboard side after it collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant ship. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
CORRECTS DATE - The damage of the right side of the USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, Saturday, June 17, 2017. The U.S. Navy says the USS Fitzgerald suffered damage below the water line on its starboard side after it collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant ship. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
The damage of the right side of the USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, after the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship, Saturday, June 17, 2017. Seven Navy sailors are missing and one was injured after a U.S. destroyer collided early Saturday morning with the Philippine-registered container ship off the coast of Japan, the country's coast guard reported. (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
In this March 7, 2017, the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) launches a missile from the aft missile deck during Multisail 17, a training exercise designed to improve interoperability between the U.S. and Japanese forces, in the Philippine Sea. The U.S. Navy destroyer has collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, the U.S. military said, and there have been injuries. In a brief written statement, the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii said the Navy has requested assistance from the Japanese Coast Guard. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William McCann/U.S. Navy via AP)
The Associated Press
In this June 1, 2017 photo, the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald, foreground, (DDG 62) makes its way with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, through the Sea of Japan. The U.S. military said the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan and said there have been injuries. In a brief written statement, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii said the Navy has requested assistance from the Japanese Coast Guard. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelsey L. Adams/US Navy via AP)
The Associated Press
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) pulls into Dry Dock 5 in Yokosuka, Japan on June 15, 2016. The U.S. military says the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan and says there have been injuries. In a brief written statement, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii said the Navy has requested assistance from the Japanese Coast Guard. It said June 16. that the USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant ship 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka. (Patrick Dionne/U.S. Navy via AP)
The Associated Press
In this Aug. 20, 2013 photo, the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) makes its way through the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. military said the Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan and said there have been injuries. In a brief written statement, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii said the Navy has requested assistance from the Japanese Coast Guard. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul Kelly/U.S. Navy via AP)
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