
On Saturday, seven sailors died when a destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, collided with a Philippines-flagged cargo ship just outside Tokyo Bay in Japan.

And the most senior of the seven - Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr - could have saved himself but instead decided to save others.

His uncle said he called the sailors on his ship his 'kids' and by various accounts Rehm, 37, saved at least 20 of them after the collision.

'He said, "If my kids die, I'm going to die",' Stanley Rehm Jr told The Daily Beast. 'He could have walked away and been safe.'

Rehm was thinking of retiring when his tour ended in three months unless he managed to secure a promotion to chief, according to his uncle.

However, he died when his colleagues were forced to close a hatch he had jumped into, in order to stop the ship from going down.

'The ship was flooding so fast they had to close the hatch to save the ship,' Stanley said. 'They had to sacrifice the few to save the many. Guess he died a hero.'

Scroll down for video

The most senior of the seven sailors who died on the USS Fitzgerald, Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr (pictured), 37, could have saved himself but instead decided to save others. By various accounts, his family says he saved at least 20 of them after the collision before dying when his colleagues were forced to close a hatch he had jumped into, in order to stop the ship from going down

The navy is investigating the possibility that some of the men who died aboard the USS Fitzgerald when it was hit by the ACX Crystal (pictured) early Saturday morning were trapped in their rapidly flooding sleeping quarters by emergency hatches

The damage to the Crystal can be seen in these new photographs - but the real danger to the Fitzgerald was located beneath the waterline, where the Crystal's bulbous bow is located. The ships crashed just off the coast of Japan

It's believed the Crystal may have struck the Fitzgerald while it was on autopilot, causing its protruding underwater bow to punch through the Navy ship's hull, in turn causing water to pour into the berths where 100 men slept

Seven men died aboard the Fitzgerald (pictured) when it was struck on Saturday; it's possible that some of them were trapped alive as their crewmates closed hatches to stem flooding

If true, that would confirm fears expressed on Tuesday that some of those lost were deliberately trapped underwater when the crew realized they had no choice but to lock down the compromised sections of the destroyer, Good Morning America reported.

The cargo ship's bow, which protrudes underneath the water, punctured the steel armor of the ship, opening a hole into the quarters where more than 100 sailors slept.

A TRAGIC RETURN The US Navy says the bodies of the seven American sailors killed in the collision have headed home. The remains of the crew members - who were aged from 19 to 37 - were found by Navy divers after the warship returned to Yokosuka, Japan, home to the Navy's 7th fleet. The bodies left Tokyo on a flight on Tuesday. The Navy said the three sailors who were injured in the collision have been released from a Navy hospital. Advertisement

Emergency hatches were closed on the compromised berthing compartments to stop the ship from sinking.

David Dykhoff, a retired Navy captain, told GMA that 'The mentality is that you're going to fight any catastrophes, any casualties, where they occur and preserve the rest of the ship.

'And I guarantee that anybody would do everything they could.'

The Fitzgerald's captain, Bryce Benson, was asleep when the collision occurred at 1:30am, but survived the horrific incident.

He was airlifted to hospital after the accident, and was reportedly in stable condition on Saturday. In total three sailors were injured; all have since been released from a Navy hospital.

One defense expert suggested that the collision occurred simply because nobody on the Crystal was there to see it happen.

'I suspect, from the data, that the ACX Crystal was running on autopilot the whole time, and nobody was on the bridge,' Steffan Watkins, an IT security consultant and ship tracking analyst for Janes Intelligence Review, told DailyMail.com on Monday.

'If anyone was on the bridge, they had no idea how to turn off the autopilot.'

The Filipino-crewed cargo ship T-boned the Navy vessel while the Fitzgerald's captain was asleep - though he survived. It's believed the Crystal's bridge may not have been properly staffed

The Crystal's protruding bow punctured the hull of the Fitzgerald, and emergency hatches were closed to stop the ship sinking as seawater poured in - but were sailors left to drown behind those hatches?

Seven US Navy sailors were killed in the collision, authorities have confirmed. They are (top row, left to right) Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, CA; Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, VA; Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, CT; and Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, CA. Bottom row (left to right Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., from Elyria, OH; Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, MD; and Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, TX

According to the tracking data, 15 minutes after the presumed 1.30am collision with the Fitzgerald, the ship righted its course and increased speed, readjusting for the change in course the collision had made.

'This is, to me, proof that a computer was driving,' Watkins said. 'No captain shakes off a collision with a US Navy Destroyer and resumes course so perfectly.'

Questions also remain about why - as shown in multiple GPS trackers - the cargo ship sailed on for seven miles and thirty minutes before turning around to help the stricken Navy vessel.

The Crystal also didn't notify officials about the collision until 55 minutes after it occurred, at around 2:25am.

Having no-one at the helm of the cargo ship would explain why it took so long for the Crystal to react.

It's also possible that because the 30,000-ton cargo ship dramatically outweighed the 8,000-ton destroyer, it shoved the boat out of the way without anyone aboard realizing.

THE FITZGERALD CRASH: WHAT WE KNOW What happened in the crash? Experts generally agree that the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal, coming from behind, tried to pass the USS Fitzgerald on the right side, but ended up T-boning it. Extensive damage to both the destroyer's starboard side (its right side) and that to the container ship's port side (its left) suggest that, but experts say it is too early to determine responsibility. The container ship might have failed to spot the destroyer and rammed into it, or the Fitzgerald might somehow have made a sudden move to the right. There is also a possibility the container ship may have tried to cut in front or in back of the destroyer and accidentally slammed into its side. 'There is almost no mistake the container was behind the destroyer, though it is still premature to decide which ship bumped into the other,' said Tetsuo Kotani, a maritime security expert at the Japan Institute of International Affairs. 'The damage to the destroyer's side suggests the container's bow slammed into it at a significant speed.' The red line shows the route of the Crystal on Saturday; at 1:30am it struck the Fitzgerald before continuing eastward. It then made a U-turn and returned to the area near the collision at around 2:25am When did it happen? Japan's coast guard initially said the collision occurred at 2:25am Saturday; the container ship reported the crash at 2:25am. But after interviewing the container ship's crewmembers, the coast guard now says the collision occurred around 1:30am. The US Navy continues to say the collision happened at 2:25am. Knowing the timing is essential to make sense of navigation tracking records that show movements of the commercial ship, but not those of the military vessel. The ACX Crystal made a sharp turn at 1:30am, quickly resumed its previous heading and made a U-turn about half an hour later. Those movements are easier to understand if they occurred immediately after the collision rather than before it. Some experts say the container ship, which is nearly four times the weight of the destroyer, might have continued on without clear understanding of the collision. It might then have noticed some irregularity and returned to the collision site, reporting the collision when its crew noticed the destroyer for the first time. The Japanese Coast Guard said the collision occurred at 1:30pm - and then it sailed on for seven miles before returning to the Fitzgerald at 2:25am, at which point they reported the incident. The 50-minute discrepancy caused confusion on Monday What is the damage and what does it suggest? The 8,315-ton destroyer's starboard side was badly damaged, with a mechanical room and two sleeping compartments ruined and flooded. Navy officials say the ship also has a big gash on the bottom. Damage to the container ship is concentrated on its bow area, including a sharp horizontal cut across it, as well as scratches and dents on the port side fence and hull. Coast guard officials said the container ship has a speed-increasing bulbous bow that sticks out in front of the ship, below the waterline; that part stabbed the destroyer's bottom, allowing the seawater to gush into the crew's sleeping quarters. Why did the ships come so close? Two possible causes are a radar failure or negligence by a night watchman - on either ship or both - that might have caused a delay or failure to spot the other ship. Every ship is equipped with radar or other electronic ship tracking device to alert against close encounters, and crewmembers on watch duty provide visual observation. US Navy Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin said an unspecified number of sailors were on watch duty the night of the collision. The gray paint of the destroyer blends into the darkness and makes it harder to spot at night. What went wrong? Experts say it could have been a lack of communication between the two ships, or a misunderstanding of the situation as to who should have the right of way. Coast guard officials said they are looking for a recording device on the container ship that could help them determine whether it communicated with the destroyer before the collision. Unlike cars on highways, ships encounter each other from all directions, and confusion can lead to a wrong decision on which side is 'give-way' or 'stand-on.' Under maritime traffic rules, the ship on the right - in this case, the container ship - gets to proceed, and one to the left is the 'give-way' ship. An expert told DailyMail.com that he believes the Japanese ship may have been on autopilot and its command deck either empty or controlled by a skeleton crew who didn't know how to disengage it once they realized a collision was imminent. Advertisement

The collision led to severe damage on the Fitzgerald (pictured on Saturday) both above and below the waterline. The Crystal was built in South Korea and registered in Japan, but its crew and captain are all from the Philippines

A shot of the ship's helipad shows how dramatically the USS Fitzgerald was listing after the accident. 'The damage was significant,' Paul said. 'This was not a small collision'

Experts have also speculated about why the USS Fitzgerald and its skeleton crew were struck on its starboard side - the nautical term for its right-hand side.

Under international maritime rules, the Fitzgerald would be expected to give the ACX Crystal the right of way and real-time charts appear to show the Filipino-crewed vessel was sailing on that side.

The unusual gap between the collision and the accident being reported led to some confusion among officials yesterday, as the US Navy was initially at a loss to explain why the Japanese Coast Guard said the crash occurred at 1:30am, while the Navy said it occurred at 2:25am.

On Saturday, both the US Navy and the Japanese Coast Guard said the accident occurred at 2.20am, leading to some experts theorizing that the series of unusual turns performed by the Crystal before that time may have caused the accident.

However, after interviewing the crews, the Coast Guard says the accident occurred at 1.30am and that the unusual maneuvers were the result of the Crystal returning to the scene to confirm a collision - and that is why it reported the accident at 2.20am.



Nanami Meguro, a spokeswoman for owners NYK Line told CBS News that one reason why the Crystal did not report the accident when it first happened may have been because it was all hands on deck.

'Because it was in an emergency, the crewmembers may not have been able to place a call,' she said.

Multiple US and Japanese investigations are under way to determine how a ship as large as the container could collide with the smaller warship in clear weather, said coastguard spokesman Takeshi Aikawa.

'HE DIED A HERO': FRIENDS AND FAMILY PAY TRIBUTE TO THE LOST FITZGERALD SAILORS While investigators pore over the details of Saturday's tragic crash, seven families must now deal with an even bigger question: How to move on from the deaths of their loved ones. In total seven Navy sailors died either in or after the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and the ACX Crystal. They were aged 19 to 37. And as the shock set in, the sailors' families and friends came forward to speak about their loss. Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19 Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby was the youngest victim, at 19. A former volunteer firefighter, he was remembered as a good and loyal friend, and one of his school's most 'positive and uplifting' figures Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, of Palmyra, Virginia, was remembered by friend Ryan Boon as 'One of the most positive, uplifting guys I knew in school no matter what.' 'Truly a sad day. I have nothing but great things to say about Dakota Rigsby,' Boon wrote on Facebook. 'You will be missed by all of us and your [Fluvanna County High School] family. Thinking and praying for your family through all of this.' Rigsby had worked as a volunteer firefighter in Fluvanna County, and his fire station flew its flag at half-staff on Saturday as news of his death hit the community. 'It's a tragic loss and he was definitely taken entirely too soon and it's... we just know that he is watching over us right now,' Jean Campbell, assistant chief of Lake Monticello Fire Department told NBC 29. 'For me he was a regular kid, when he was younger and just having fun playing and he grew into what we would consider a good man,' Campbell said. 'Even before he left for the navy he would spend a lot of time with some of the younger kids up here playing basketball and just horsing around with them and having a good time.' Another friend of Rigsby's, Angel Bautista, wrote: 'I'd be your designated wingman any day brother. Smooth sailing from here on out... It's true what they say 'the good ones always go too soon' and friend you truly were a good soul.' Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23 Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan (pictured) was remembered as a cheerful joker by his friends Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, died alongside Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass in the hold as it was flooded with water. The pair were both from San Diego, California - Sibayan from Chula Vista and Douglass from Oceanside, around 42 miles north of there. Sibayan's friends recalled him as a real character - someone who could always be relied on to light up a room. 'There was never a time that Carlos wasn't making people laugh,' Chase Cornils, a fellow cadet of Chaparral High School's Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, told the San Diego Tribune. 'He always had a cheerful attitude and a smile on his face,' he said. 'When I think of Carlos, I can only remember an extremely happy guy who was willing to help all of his friends.' Xavier Alex Martin, 24 Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin (left) tried to call his dad Darrold (right) as the room he was in flooded, but was unable to. Darrold said he thanked God he didn't have to hear Xavier, his son and best friend, drown, adding: 'He's my only child. He's all I have' Darrold Martin, father of Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin from Halethorpe, Maryland, still appeared in shock on Monday night. 'It's very hard,' Martin - who raised Xavier as a single father - told CBS Baltimore. 'He's my only child. He's all I have.' He said Xavier wasn't just his son, but his best friend, and that they they even had matching tattoos. Now the only things he can think of are his son's last moments alive, as water flooded into the ship. 'He was trying to [contact me], but the all comps were down, he was trying to call me then. I thank God that-- who wants to hear their child...?' he said, his voice trailing off. He added: 'It just occurred to me call everybody - to every dad - that I knew, and say 'Happy Father's Day.'' Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25 The family of Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass (left and right) said he was 'adventurous'. They said in a statement that he was 'thrilled' to go back to Japan in 2014 to serve his country on the Fitzgerald On Monday the family of Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass paid tribute to their 'adventurous' 25-year-old sailor, who had followed his dad, US Marine Corps Master Sergeant Stephen Douglass, into the Navy. 'We loved him very much and his parents and younger brother will miss him more than words can express,' the Douglasses, of Oceanside in San Diego, California, said in a statement to NBC San Diego. 'Shingo was an adventurous young man. He loved to travel, was a certified scuba diver and a Black Belt in karate and played tennis,' they added. 'He was also an avid gamer, studied computer game design and loved to attend Comic Con.' They said he was 'thrilled' to go back to Japan in 2014 to serve his country on the Fitzgerald, and said they commended the crew's efforts to save their friends' lives. 'We know now why Shingo was proud to serve with you,' they added. Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25 A friend described Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh (left and right) as 'genuine and kind-hearted'. His sister told the station that he was a 'really quiet person' but 'very selfless' The family of Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh found out he had died after a delay that was caused by them moving from Connecticut to Oklahoma after he enlisted, WVIT reported. 'He was a really quiet person,' his sister told the station. 'He was also very nice, very selfless. He helped us, the family with a lot. He had the brightest smile.' A friend, Kim Thanh Vo, wrote a tribute to the sailor, nicknamed 'Tan', on Facebook on Saturday. 'I can't believe that you have been taken away from us,' she wrote. 'We have known each other for more than 8 years and I cherish all those memories we had together. You were such a genuine and kind hearted person and it pains me that you are no longer here.' Noe Hernandez, 26 Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez leaves behind Dora Hernandez, his wife and high-school sweetheart, as well as friends and family who said they were proud of his achievements The cousin of Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez told CBS DFW that Noe had died from an injury to the head. 'When they confirmed it, it was like a kick to the chest,' said Aly Hernandez-Singer. She added that Hernandez had one child - his son Leon - with wife Dora, whom he met in high school. 'That was his first love… his only love,' she remarked. Hernandez's whole family felt like they had traveled the world through the young man's stories, she said. 'We lived through his experiences. His travels. We were just proud that our boy was up there. 'We all came from poverty in Guatemala. He was the one who made it. And we were so proud of him.' A former shipmate, Michele Arambula, wrote that Hernandez's death was 'hard to fathom'. It seems like the cruelest of jokes,' she said. 'Him and his wife, Dora Hernandez, are the most kind-hearted ppl i know to date. My prayers and condolences go out to your family, Dora.' She added: 'Fair wind and following seas, friend.' Gary Leo Rehm Jr, 37 Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr 'died a hero,' his uncle said, having rescued 20 men before being lost to the water. His wife, Erin, said they were 'obsessed with each other,' and that she feels 'just so lost right now' Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr, of Elyria, Ohio, 'died a hero,' his uncle Stanley Rehm told Fox 8 Cleveland, and had managed to save more than a dozen crew mates before he was lost to the waters. 'His dad told me that he saved 20,' Stanley said. 'He went back down to where the other ones were at to save them.' However, he said, Rehm died when his colleagues were forced to close a hatch he had jumped into, in order to stop the ship from going down. If true, that would confirm fears expressed on Tuesday that some of those lost were deliberately trapped underwater when the crew realized they had no choice but to lock down the compromised sections of the destroyer. 'The ship was flooding so fast they had to close the hatch to save the ship,' Stanley said. 'They had to sacrifice the few to save the many. Guess he died a hero.' Rehm was survived by his wife Erin, who posted on Facebook: 'We were obsessed with each other. I'm just so lost right now.' Advertisement

The damaged US Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald is seen berthing at Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo

The victims might have been killed by the impact of the collision or drowned in the flooding, Navy spokesman Lt Paul Newell said on Saturday; since then the possibility that some men drowned when their crewmates locked them in has emerged

The damage to the destroyer suggests that the ACX Crystal might have slammed into it at a high speed, raising questions about communication between the two vessels in an area through which as many as 400 ships pass every day

Scott Cheney-Peters, division officer aboard the Fitzgerald from 2006-2008, suggested the accident was down to human error.

'There's a lot that can go wrong even when the bridge team on one or both ships is doing everything it can to avoid a collision. It's too early to speculate on the exact circumstances in this case, so this is only to help understand the context,' he told DailyMail.com.

'The first thing to remember is the physics - ships can carry an immense amount of momentum with them given their size.

'Every time two ships approach each other at sea they rely on codified rules of the road to govern how they perform their delicate dance.

'But making sure they get the steps right depends on a shared understanding of the situation - which can be more difficult at night - and failing that, communication.'

The US Navy, the Japanese authorities, and Crystal's owners, NYK, have declined to comment on aspects of the ongoing investigation. An explanation has also not been offered as to why the Fitzgerald did not see the Crystal coming, and vice versa.

According to Japanese law, suspects in criminal proceedings such as these can be held for at least 23 days without charge and or access to lawyers.

The coast guard has declined to confirm if they were still questioning the crew and captain in Yokohama, where the Crystal is now berthed.

The Crystal was built in South Korea and registered in Japan, but its crew and captain are all from the Philippines.

The coast guard questioned crew members of the ACX Crystal, and is treating the incident as a case of possible professional negligence, said Masayuki Obara, a regional coast guard official