US navy ships collide in Caribbean as mid-sea refuelling goes wrong

A US warship and a navy supply vessel collided during refueling, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Two people suffered minor injuries after the navy destroyer and supply ship collided during a ship-to-ship refuelling operation in the Caribbean, the military spokesperson told the news daily.




The USS Truxtun, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and the fast combat support ship USNS Supply struck each other during a replenishment-at-sea, according to Col Emmanuel Ortiz, a spokesman for United States Southern Command. The injured personnel are in stable condition, and both vessels are capable of continuing their voyages, Ortiz said.

The cause of the collision remains unclear and is under investigation. The exact location was not immediately disclosed, though a military official said the incident occurred within Southern Command’s area of responsibility, which covers the Caribbean and parts of the South Atlantic and South Pacific.

The Truxtun had departed its home port in Norfolk, Virginia, on February 6 for a scheduled deployment, while the Supply has been operating in the Caribbean.