A Japanese tug boat lost propulsion and drifted into the U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG-65) while she was participating in a scheduled towing exercise in Sagami Wan Nov. 18.

A statement from the U.S. 7th Fleet said that no one was injured on either vessel and Benfold sustained minimal damage, including scrapes on its side, pending a full damage assessment.

It added that Benfold remains at sea under her own power and the Japanese commercial tug is being towed by another vessel to a port in Yokosuka. The statement also announced that the incident will be investigated.

Benfold is forward deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.





