Remains Of One US Sailor Retrieved, SAR Suspended

By Massita Ahmad SINGAPORE, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- The United States (US) Navy recovered the remains of a sailor who went missing following a collision between the USS S McCain vessel and the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Alnic MC on Aug 21. In its latest update on its website, the United States Seventh Fleet said the remains were confirmed as those of Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, from New Jersey. Following that, the US Navy has suspended the search and rescue (SAR) efforts for the remaining nine missing sailors in an approximately 2,100 sq mile area east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The multi-agency SAR is suspended after more than 80 hours of efforts. However, the US Navy and Marine Corps divers will continue search and recovery efforts inside flooded compartments in the ship for the missing sailors. In the website, the US Navy listed the remaining nine missing sailors as: Electronics Technician 1st Class Charles Nathan Findley, 31, from Missouri Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Abraham Lopez, 39, from Texas Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, from Maryland Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jacob Daniel Drake, 21, from Ohio Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., 23, from Maryland Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram, 28, from New York Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, from Connecticut Electronics Technician 3rd Class John Henry Hoagland III, 20, from Texas Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, from Illinois Meanwhile, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said with the announcement by the US Navy to focus on search and recovery efforts on USS John S McCain, Singapore had decided to suspend the multi-agency SAR operation from 9pm on Thursday. Singapore will continue to support the US Navy in the search on the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS John S McCain. The Singapore-coordinated SAR efforts with the US, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia covered 5,524 sq km and involved more than 300 personnel from various Singapore agencies over the past four days. “As the co-ordinating agency for the four-day SAR efforts, MPA thanks all personnel from participating nations who worked tirelessly with the Singapore agencies to assist the US Navy,” said MPA chief executive, Andrew Tan in a statement here. “We would like to express our condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased US Navy crew, and wish the injured crew speedy recovery,” he said. -- BERNAMA