The US Navy released the identities of the seven sailors who were tragically killed after their Navy destroyer collided with a Philippine-flagged container on Saturday.
Gunner’s Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, Virginia, was the first sailor to be identified Saturday night. At the time it wasn’t clear whether or not he had survived the collision.
The US Navy confirmed on Sunday that Rigsby, who volunteered for the Lake Monticello Volunteer Fire Department and was a graduate of Fluvanna County High School, was one of the fallen sailors.
Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, California, Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, Connecticut, Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, Texas; Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlosvictor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, California, Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, Maryland, and Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr, 37, from Elyria, Ohio, were identified as the sailors who tragically died in the collision.
‘We are all deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our fellow shipmates as a result of Friday’s collision between USS Fitzgerald and a commercial container ship, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families,’ said Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley.
‘As details emerge, we can all be proud of the heroic effort by the crew to tend to the needs of those injured and save the ship from further damage while returning safely to port.
‘The Navy family comes together during tragic events such as this and I want to thank those who continue to provide around-the-clock assistance to the affected families during these difficult days,’ the statement read.
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Gone too soon: Dakota Rigsby (left) was the first sailor believed to be among the missing at sea following the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship. He was confirmed deceased by Navy officials who also released the other six names of the sailors, including Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez (right), 26, from Weslaco, Texas
Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, California, was among the seven sailors who were sleeping when the container ship slammed into their ship
Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr (left), 37, from Elyria, Ohio, and Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlosvictor Ganzon Sibayan (right), 23, from Chula Vista, California, were also identified as the sailors who tragically died in the collision
Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh (pictured), 25, was from Oakville, Connecticut. The Navy confirmed he was among the deceased sailors
Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, Maryland, was also identified as one of the deceased
Stackley continued to say: ‘I also want to express my most heartfelt appreciation to our Japanese allies for their swift support and assistance at this time of our need.
‘In due time, the United States Navy will fully investigate the cause of this tragedy and I ask all of you to keep the Fitzgerald families in your thoughts and prayers as we begin the task of answering the many questions before us.’
On Sunday, Mia Sykes, the mother of US Navy sailor, Brayden Harden, who survived a direct hit to his sleeping berth during the collision said her son kept diving to try to save his shipmates until the flooded berth began running out of air pockets, while others – believing the ship was under attack – hurried to man the guns.
Sykes of Raleigh, North Carolina, said her 19-year-old son was knocked out of his bunk by the impact, and water immediately began filling the berth, after their destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, collided with the container ship four times its size off the Japanese coast.
The ships collided about 2.20am Saturday, when the Navy said most of the 300 sailors on board would have been sleeping.
Sykes says her son, who is a gunner’s mate, told her that four men in his berth, including those sleeping on bunks above and below him died, while three died in the berth above his.
‘They did what they were trained to do,’ said Sykes, who said she hopes her son, from Herrin, Illinois, can come home to be with family as he works through what happened.
‘You have to realize most of them are 18, 19 and 20 year olds living with guilt. But I told him, “There’s a reason you’re still here and make that count.”‘
Authorities have declined to speculate on a cause while the crash remains under investigation.
Hero: Mia Sykes (left), the mother of US Navy sailor, Brayden Harden, 19, who survived a direct hit to his sleeping berth during a collision at sea, said her son heroically kept diving to try to save his shipmates until the flooded berth began running out of air pockets, while others – believing the ship was under attack – hurried to man the guns
Sykes of Raleigh, North Carolina, said Harden, was knocked out of his bunk by the impact, and water immediately began filling the berth, after their destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship four times its size off the Japanese coast
Catastrophic damage: A close-up of the USS Fitzgerald’s destroyed starboard side after it was hit by a cargo ship at 2.30am on Saturday morning
All seven missing sailors were found dead in the flooded berthing compartments of the Navy destroyer.
According to the US 7th Fleet, the bodies were found Sunday morning by divers after the $1.5billion USS Fitzgerald returned to its base in Yokosuka.
The Navy revealed that 116 crew had been sleeping in the compartments that flooded when a 29,000 ton ACX Crystal cargo ship crashed into the destroyer gouging a large hole in its hull below the water line.
The ship’s captain, Commander Bryce Benson, was asleep when the accident happened and his cabin was destroyed by the impact.
Benson was airlifted from the ship’s deck after daybreak Saturday to the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka with a head injury. The Wisconsin native, who took command of the AEGIS-equipped vessel in May of 2016, was said to be in stable condition.
Two other crew members suffered cuts and bruises and were also flown out by helicopter.
Vice Adm Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the Navy’s 7th Fleet, said Benson is ‘lucky to be alive’.