United States warship, the USS Benfold on Sunday sustained minor damage after it collided with Japanese tug off Central Japan. The United States Navy in a short statement confirmed the incident but downplayed insinuations that the incident was serious. The statement disclosed that the Commercial tug lost propulsion and drifted into the guided-missile destroyer during a towing exercise in Sagami bay.
The statement read in part;
"No-one was injured on either vessel. USS Benfold sustained minimal damage, including scrapes on its side. Benfold remains at sea under her own power. The Japanese commercial tug is being towed by another vessel to a port in Yokosuka."
Between January and August, the United States has recorded four collisions with some of the incident resulting in the death of Sailors. In January, US cruiser ran aground near the fleet base in Yokosuka. Four months after, a guided missile cruiser and South Korean fishing vessel collided.
In June the USS Fitzerald and a container ship collided in Japanese water near the port city of Yokosuka, killing seven US Sailors.
Also, in August USS John S McCain and an oil tanker collided east of Singapore, resulting in the death of 10 US Sailors. Meanwhile, the US Navy said investigation into the recent incident has already commenced.
