N.J., Ill., Ohio sailors among missing after USS John S. McCain collision

Play Video

The U.S. Navy ordered a broad investigation into the performance and readiness of the Pacific-based 7th Fleet after an early morning collision between the USS John McCain and an oil tanker in Southeast Asian waters. (August 21) AP

(Photo: Photo courtesy of April Brandon)

CHERRY HILL, N.J. — A sailor from New Jersey is among those declared missing after the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker near Singapore.

April Brandon on Tuesday was holding out hope that her son, Petty Officer 3rd Class Kenneth Smith, will be found safe aboard the U.S. Navy destroyer.

Smith, 22, lists his hometown as Cherry Hill on his Facebook profile. He grew up in Michigan, moved to Virginia during high school and later moved to South Jersey when his father, a Naval officer, was transferred to the area, according to NBC News.

Brandon said that at about 5 a.m. ET Monday, two Navy officials visited her home to inform her that her son was among 10 missing sailors aboard the USS McCain.

More: U.S. Navy to relieve 7th Fleet commander, reports say

More: Navy orders pause in operations, safety review after USS John S. McCain collision

"They explained the collision and said he was among the missing," Brandon told the Detroit Free Press. "That's literally all the details they had."

Brandon has been waiting for word ever since.

"He's tough. I have hope," she said.

"There is no new news yet. Nothing is confirmed, though rumors are abundant," Brandon said in a Facebook post Tuesday morning. "There is not an official update as of yet. When I have something from the Navy, I will update you. Please keep hope, continue forward with your day, hug your family, love one another, pray or vibe positively, whatever it is you do. To the families of the other missing sailors, you're in my thoughts, my heart is at sea with yours."

Smith is a third-generation sailor, following his father and grandfather into the Navy, Brandon said. He grew up in Novi, Mich., before moving to Virginia to live with his father and join an ROTC program to prepare for the Navy, she said.

Smith is in the fourth year of a seven-year commitment and has considered making a career out of the Navy as his father did, Brandon said.

Kenneth Smith is among the missing sailors who are assigned to the USS John S. McCain. (Photo: Submitted)

He works in radar technology and his current rank is a E-4. Brandon said Smith joined the Navy in part because of the education it offered. His dream job is a video game developer and he publishes science fiction writings online, Brandon said.

His ship has been to Japan and Australia. Brandon said Smith plans to visit her in December, his first visit home in more than a year.

"He'll be home for Christmas," she said.

Brandon said that her son loves animals and stands up for human rights.

"He's very patriotic," she said. "It's people like him that make America great. He's my hero. His father's hero, too."

On Aug. 5, Smith posted on his author's page at wattpad.com, an online platform for writers, storytellers, and poets, that new book ideas were "pouring out of me left and right."

"Let me tell ya, this one I have in the works now I works now I have a really good feeling about," he wrote.

The site lists three of his works, two fan fiction stories and one fantasy tale. He encourages followers to "read my stuff, leave comments and likes," and describes himself as thick-skinned and open to "any and all ideas" that might improve his work.

Two other missing sailors have been identified. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis said he was informed by Logan Palmer’s family that the central Illinois man is missing. The family of Jacob Drake, 21, was told that the western Ohio man was among the missing, the Columbus Dispatched reported Tuesday.

Damage to the portside is visible as the Guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain steers towards Changi naval base in Singapore following a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC on Monday. (Photo: AP)

Davis, a Republican whose district includes the Decatur area, said Palmer comes from a “patriotic family.” He enlisted in 2016.

“Our military must do whatever necessary to minimize incidents like this and protect those who risk their lives each day in service to our country,” Davis said.

Drake is engaged to be married next year. His 20-year-old fiancee, Megan Partlow, said she last heard from him on Sunday via text message.

Partlow said she wants “him to be safe.”

The collision before dawn on Monday near Singapore tore a gaping hole in the McCain’s left rear hull and flooded adjacent compartments including crew berths and machinery and communication rooms. Five sailors were injured.

The McCain and the Alnic MC oil tanker collided about 4.5 nautical miles from Malaysia’s coast at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the busy Singapore Strait. There was no immediate explanation for the collision.

Adm. Scott Swift said Tuesday that some bodies have been found in a flooded compartment of the warship, but officials did not say if any had been identified.

Play Video

• 
  

The USS John S. McCain arrived at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore Monday. An investigation is underway by the U.S. Navy into the performance and readiness of the 7th Fleet after a collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker. (Aug. 21) AP

It was the second major collision in two months involving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet, and the Navy has ordered a broad investigation into its performance and readiness. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan. There were two lesser-known incidents in the first half of the year. In January, the USS Antietam guided missile cruiser ran aground near Yokosuka base, the home port of the 7th Fleet, and in May another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain from the Navy’s 3rd Fleet, had a minor collision with a South Korean fishing boat.

Late Monday, reports in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal indicated the Navy plans to relieve Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin from command of the 7th Fleet on Wednesday.

Contributing: The (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post, hometownlife.com and The Associated Press.

Originally published on ...https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/08/23/n-j-ill-ohio-sailors-among-missing-after-uss-john-s-mccain-collision/592646001/