It seems like the odds of finding someone alive seem pretty remote, but lets all hope at least one of the missing is alive:
In this photo released by the Royal Malaysian Navy, the U.S guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, off Johor, Malaysia, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.
Ongoing search-and-rescue efforts for 10 missing USS John S. McCain sailors have turned up a number of bodies, Adm. Scott Swift, Pacific Fleet commander, told reporters Tuesday evening.
The Yokosuka-based guided-missile destroyer was traveling to Singapore for a routine port visit early Monday when it collided with the Liberian-flagged Alnic MC oil tanker east of the city-state, injuring five sailors and leaving 10 missing.
During a news conference at Singapore’s Changi Naval Base, Swift said that Navy and Marine Corps divers discovered remains while searching sealed compartments in damaged areas of the ship. The Malaysian navy also discovered remains that could be one of the missing sailors.
“We have a report from the Malaysians … that they have found a body,” Swift said. “We are in the process of effecting the transfer of that body so we can start the identification process and determine whether it’s one of the missing sailors or not. We have discovered other bodies during the diving on McCain today. The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search.” [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but initially the damage to the ship at least visually doesn’t appear as bad as with the USS Fitzgerald.
Here's a fresher photo of the Fitzgerald ship damage, with flood control measures in place. Final investigation results will take time. pic.twitter.com/QMLLKHKmOq
This is a horrible accident the USS Fitzgerald has been involved in that has caused 7 sailors to go missing and more injured:
Seven US sailors are missing and the commanding officer of a US destroyer is among the injured after the warship collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, the US Navy said Friday.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald suffered damage to its starboard side above and below the waterline in the incident.
Cmdr. Bryce Benson, commander of the Fitzgerald, was one of three injured sailors who needed to be flown to a naval hospital in Yokosuka, Japan.
The two ships collided about 2:30 a.m. local time in the Pacific Ocean about 56 nautical miles from the port of Yokosuka and 12 miles off the Izu Peninsula, the Japanese coast guard said.
The Fitzgerald had left the US naval base in Yokosuka earlier Friday for routine operations in the area, a US Naval Forces Japan spokesman said. The damage to the Fitzgerald resulted in some flooding. [CNN]
You can read more at the link, but the investigation on this should be interesting to see what happened.
An American sailor whose disappearance at sea last week prompted a search by American and Japanese ships of thousands of square miles (square kilometers) of ocean was found alive onboard his ship on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said.
The U.S. 7th Fleet said the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Peter Mims of Interlachen, Florida, were being investigated. It said Mims would be transferred to another ship for a medical evaluation and recommendations for follow-on care.
In a statement, the Navy did not comment on Mims’ condition or say where he was found on his ship, the guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh.
Mims disappeared last Thursday when the ship was in Japan’s southern waters and was believed to have fallen into the sea. A search was suspended Sunday after more than 50 hours of effort by the U.S. and Japanese navies and Japan’s coast guard.
The Navy said a search onboard the Shiloh continued, and Mims was located on Thursday. [Associated Press]
I wonder if anything like this has ever happened before in the Navy because this is the first I have heard of something like this happening?
Here is the latest on what is going on with the USS Carl Vinson otherwise known in the media as “Trump’s Armada”:
USS Carl Vinson
The USS Carl Vinson, a U.S. aircraft carrier, on Saturday started a joint naval drill with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea amid heightened tensions from North Korea’s failed ballistic missile launch earlier in the morning, defense officials here said.
“South Korea and U.S. strike forces began a drill in the East Sea from 6 p.m. today against the backdrop of the current security situation,” the South Korean Navy said.
No specific schedule for the rendezvous was released to the media yet, but the exercise is expected to continue until sometime next week.
At the core of the naval exercise lies the missile warning informational link exercise (LINKEX) that monitors, traces and intercepts any intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) from North Korea. [Yonhap]
What really bothers me about this whole USS Carl Vinson story is why should the US Navy report to the media where their ships are at?:
The U.S. military’s top Pacific chief was in the hot seat Wednesday at a House hearing and took the blame for apparent miscommunication over the USS Carl Vinson carrier’s movements amid the rising tensions with North Korea.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said in an interview the military was sending “an armada” to the Korean Peninsula and reports at the time indicated the carrier strike group was led by the Vinson. But as tensions mounted with North Korea over the nuclear and ballistic-missile threat, it was learned last week from a New York Times story the Vinson was actually headed in another direction and not toward Korean waters.
“With regard to the Carl Vinson, that’s my fault on the confusion and I’ll take the hit for it,” Navy Adm. Harry Harris, the four-star commander of U.S. Pacific Command, testified at a hearing of the House Committee on Armed Services.
Harris explained that he made the decision to pull the aircraft carrier out of Singapore and cancel a port visit to Australia. He also ordered the carrier to proceed north. However, he said, he failed to communicate that adequately to the press. “So that is all on me.” [CNBC]
Here is the stupidest article that I have read today that is example of the bias in the mainstream media against the Trump administration:
Trump ‘Armada’ Sent to Deter Kim Can’t Shoot Down His Missiles
The U.S. Navy flotilla sailing toward the Korean peninsula to deter Kim Jong Un’s regime lacks a key capability: It can’t shoot down ballistic missiles.
The USS Carl Vinson and the aircraft carrier’s accompanying destroyers and cruiser are expected to arrive in waters near the peninsula this week, carrying a full complement of weaponry, including scores of Tomahawk cruise and anti-ship missiles, radar-jamming aircraft and non-stealthy “Super Hornet” jets built by Boeing Co.
That firepower brings a lot to any fight, but the Navy’s lack of ballistic missile defense capability on the scene means the Trump administration’s high-profile show of force has a significant gap as it warns North Korea against another missile test and pressures it to back down from its nuclear program. [Bloomberg]
Does this writer, Anthony Capaccio really think the US Navy is stupid enough to put an aircraft carrier at risk of a North Korean ballistic missile strike without missile defense? The US Navy will defend the aircraft carrier and any other assets with an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capability as needed. Where the carrier is at now off the coast of Okinawa does not warrant Aegis BMD protection.
The article then goes on to claim the Korean peninsula is at risk from ballistic missile attack as well:
While the Obama administration began the process of deploying Thaad, a high-altitude missile defense system, to the South Korean mainland, the hardware isn’t fully operational yet either. That leaves Seoul — just 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of the demilitarized zone — and the rest of the country more vulnerable to attack.
Obviously Mr. Capaccio does not know that both the US and the ROK militaries have Patriot missile batteries located across the peninsula. The THAAD battery was installed to add an advanced upper tier missile defense capability to compliment the already existing lower tier Patriot coverage.
It is pretty clear by the title of the article that Mr. Capaccio is trying to make President Trump look dumb by supposedly not having an Aegis BMD ship with the carrier. The media is now jumping on this meme with Newsweek publishing a similar headline of “USS Carl Vinson Cannot Shoot Down Missiles“. I wonder how many other media outlets will echo the same claim to where people who read just the headline begin to think it is true?
Considering all the media hype of using the Carl Vinson to bomb North Korea the carrier strike group does not even arrive in the East Sea until next week:
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson transits the South China Sea while conducting flight operations on April 9. [U.S NAVY]A U.S. Navy strike group led by third Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Carl Vinson will arrive in South Korea’s East Sea next Tuesday and likely participate in a joint military drill between Seoul and Washington to prepare for a possible missile threat from North Korea, officials from the South’s Ministry of National Defense said Monday. Discussions for the exercise are still ongoing, according to a senior official.
The arrival date, April 25, coincides with the 85th anniversary of the North’s Korean People’s Army, which Pyongyang might celebrate with a show of its military power. The local official said Washington was sending the Vinson strike group to South Korean waters because it deemed there was a high possibility the North will raise tension by a nuclear or missile provocation. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read the rest at the link, but the Carl Vinson was just at South Korea as part of March’s Foal Eagle exercise without the media hype it is getting now.
Considering how open this guy was with his side job I would be very surprised if no one in his chain command knew what he was doing:
A decorated Navy SEAL is under investigation for taking orders on porn sets.
The military is investigating Navy Chief Special Warfare Officer Joseph John Schmidt III for appearing in more than 29 adult films in the last seven years, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Friday.
Schmidt, 42, has served for more than 23 years in the military, but has allegedly found time to moonlight as a porn star under the name Jay Voom.
Schmidt has shared the most screen time with his wife, porn star Jewels Jade, but he has also appeared with X-rated actresses Mena Li and Ashden Wells. His portfolio includes titles such as “Apple Smashing Lap Dance” and “Strippers Come Home Horny From the Club.”
The military is looking into whether Schmidt violated a rule that prohibits Navy SEALs from doing other work without their commanders’ approval. [NY Post]
You can read the rest at the link, but Schmidt’s wife claims she got back into porn after giving it up to be a mother because of financial difficulties. She recruited her husband to help her out in order to not have to pay a male to participate in the films with her. Schmidt was was actually only a few months from retiring before this thing blew up in his face. It will be interesting to see if the Navy tries to take any rank away from him before retiring.
