USS Fitzgerald returns to Japan for additional repairs
Seven sailors were killed when the destroyer collided with a merchant ship in June
The USS Fitzgerald returned to the Yokosuka base in Japan for additional repairs to its hull, the U.S. Navy said on Monday.
In a press release, the Navy said the guided missile destroyer returned on board the transport vessel Transshelf “to repair two punctures in her hull caused by the heavy lift vessel’s steel support structure during on load at anchorage.”
The 7th Fleet ship was damaged in a collision with the container ship ACX Crystal on June 17 off the coast of Japan. Seven of the Fitzgerald’s crew members were killed in the incident, which a Navy investigation found was due to numerous procedural failures by the crew and commanding officer.
The hull repairs are expected to extend the load on process by a few days, the Navy said, after which the Fitzgerald will return to Mississippi for more repairs and upgrades.
