Some of the Missing Sailors Apparently Never Got Out

Divers find remains in search of USS John S McCain
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 22, 2017 7:01 AM CDT
Sailors' Remains Found Inside Damaged Navy Ship
The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain steers toward the Changi Naval Base, Singapore.   (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Fulton/U.S. Navy via AP)

It appears that at least some of the 10 missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain never made it off the ship. Divers searching compartments of the damaged Navy destroyer have located human remains and were working to retrieve them, reports CBS News. Navy officials also said that a Malaysian search team had located an unidentified body elsewhere, reports the AP. The Navy vessel collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore on Monday in one of the most congested shipping lanes in the world, the latest in a string of Navy accidents that has prompted an "operational pause" to assess safety.

China, meanwhile, is using the latest accident to criticize the US naval presence in the region. The US "is becoming a dangerous obstacle in Asian waters," declared the official China Daily newspaper. "The US Navy, which likes to claim its presence can help safeguard 'freedom of navigation' in the South China Sea, is proving to be an increasing hindrance to ships sailing in Asian waters," said the editorial. The USS McCain had been returning from a patrol in the South China Sea, during which it sailed close to one of China's controversial man-made islands, when the collision occurred. The cause remains under investigation. (More USS John S. McCain stories.)

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