Still Damaged, US Warship Back Accident in Japan

USS Fitzgerald warship that had collided with a cargo ship off the coast of Japan in June back to an accident when it was transported to a transport ship to take home to the United States.

Still damaged by a collision that killed seven sailors on June 17, the Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer was originally about to be taken to Mississippi for repair. However, Fitzgerald must return to his home port in Yokosuka, Japan, after getting two new holes in his stomach.

The additional damage was obtained in an accident involving Transshelf heavy transport vessels.

"FitzGerald returned to repair two holes in the stomach caused by the heavy carrier support structures during port transport," the US Navy's Seventh Fleet said in a press statement quoted by CNN on Monday (28/11).

"Improvements are expected to delay the transport process by a few days, after which Transshelf will take Fitzgerald to Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to be repaired and updated further."

The warship was towed into the deep waters to begin the transport process last week. After the collision in June, Fitzgerald must undergo repairs on the right side of the damaged, just above the waterline.
Although the accident on Sunday was expected to delay Fitzgerald's journey back to the United States only for a few days, it could harm the US Navy still dealing with the remains of Seventh Fleet related problems lately.

Two US missile ships, USS Fitzgerald and USS John S McCain, collided with merchant ships to kill 17 sailors and now both ships must be repaired for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Accidents that happened in Japan and Singapore also made the Navy confused because the two most sophisticated ships in the ocean were simply unable to navigate well in the middle of a crowded vessel lane.

Overall, the Seventh Fleet ship and aircraft have experienced five major accidents outside of fighting throughout 2017, including an accident in the Philippines Sea last week.