Navy recovers remains of 10 sailors killed in USS John S. McCain crash

Update 9:30 p.m. EDT Aug. 27: The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said on Sunday that officials have recovered the bodies of all 10 sailors killed when the USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant ship on Aug. 21 near Singapore.

Officials continue to investigate the collision.

Original report: The U.S. Navy on Thursday identified a sailor whose remains were found after the USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant ship near Singapore earlier this week.

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Divers recovered the remains of Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, officials said.

Nine other sailors remain missing. Navy officials identified them 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

Crews searched a 2,100-square mile area east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore after the Liberian-flagged Alnic MC and the USS John S. McCain collided on Monday. Five sailors were injured.

>> Related: 10 sailors missing after USS John S. McCain collides with tanker

Divers continued Thursday to search the flooded compartments of the USS John S. McCain, although officials said the efforts had shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission.

Monday's crash was the second major collision involving a U.S. Navy warship from the 7th Fleet in two months, according to The Navy Times. It is the fourth accident involving a naval vessel in the Pacific this year, according to The Washington Post.

Monday’s accident prompted officials to launch an investigation of the 7th Fleet. Navy Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, said the Navy will take a one-day operational pause in response to the accident, to “ensure we are taking all appropriate immediate measures to enhance the Navy’s safe and effective operation around the world.”

>> Related: Navy plans operation pause, calls for review of collisions in the Pacific

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the commander of the 7th Fleet was dismissed in the aftermath of the crash.

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