U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christian Senyk/Released(NEW YORK) — The Navy announced it is expanding its search for 10 missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain on Wednesday just hours after the commander of the 7th Fleet was relieved of duty.
Ten sailors are missing after the USS John S. McCain collided with a commercial vessel on Monday. The Navy said Tuesday the remains of “a number” of the missing sailors were found within the ship but had yet to be identified.
Additional divers will join the search area east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, where the ship originally crashed into the tanker, according to a statement. The Royal Malaysian Navy recovered the remains of a sailor in that location on Tuesday.
The Navy also said it will continue to search within the USS John S. McCain itself.
#USSJohnSMcCain Update: Divers continue to search the ship for the missing. At sea, the search area is expanding. https://t.co/EThaNhWpP0 pic.twitter.com/BpR12oFYzq
— 7th Fleet (@US7thFleet) August 23, 2017
The U.S. Navy announced early Wednesday it had relieved from duty the three-star admiral in charge of the U.S. 7th Fleet after a string of four accidents this year, including Monday’s disaster. Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin was removed and replaced by Phil Sawyer, the Navy announced.
Seven sailors were killed in a similar accident in June when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship. In May, the USS Lake Champlain, a guided missile cruiser, collided with a fishing boat in the Sea of Japan. The USS Antietam ran aground off the coast of Japan in February.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.