Two Navy ships collide during exercise off Florida
ARLINGTON, Va. — Two U.S. warships collided Monday during exercises off the Florida coast, a Navy official said Tuesday.
No sailors or Marines were injured in the incident, said Commander Conrad Chun, a spokesman for 2nd Fleet, based in Norfolk, Va.
The incident happened about 1:30 p.m. off the coast of Jacksonville when two destroyers, USS Winston Churchill and McFaul, collided, Chun said. Each ship had about 320 crewmembers on board at the time of the incident, he said.
The cause of the incident is under investigation, Chun said. He said he had no information whether any crewmembers face disciplinary action in connection with the collision.
Neither ship sustained flooding or damage to major equipment as a result of the incident, Chun said. Both ships are expected to arrive in port at Norfolk today so the damage can be fully assessed, he said.
Chun said he had no information on weather or sea conditions at the time of the incident.
He said he does not remember the last time two ships collided but said such incidents are rare.
Still, “one collision is one too many,” Chun said.
