US Navy Destroyer Suffered 4-Day Power Outage In Sweltering South China Sea

Large US naval battleships continue to suffer problems at sea. While there have been many headlines of late detailing the problems of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier connected to its extended deployment amid the Iran war, a separate warship is having serious problems in Pacific waters, quite apart from the crisis in the Persian Gulf.

“A US Navy guided-missile destroyer spent four days last month without working toilets, galley services and air conditioning in the blistering heat of the South China Sea after the warship lost power,” CNN reports.

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The military has since confirmed an engineering failure which caused the significant outage, which basically shut down all the ship’s systems, including the ability to maneuver on its own.

A US 7th Fleet statement identified that the USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was on routine operations in the Indo-Pacific on when an “engineering casualty involving its generators” occurred.

It happened on July 24, and has now set back additional operations. It was supposed to be part of the USS George Washington strike group which is at the moment headed to the Middle East in order to relieve the Lincoln carrier.

However, the Benfold is still stuck in Asian waters. “There were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience, grit, professionalism, and unwavering steadiness in their response,” the US Navy statement said.

The four-day crisis impacted the ship’s galley services, toilets, air conditioning and potable water, the 7th Fleet also confirmed. The heat would have been sweltering.

No explanations have been given as to how the crew managed the waste problem. USNI, which first reported the crisis, describes of the repair process:

The George Washington Carrier Strike Group supported the destroyer, according to 7th Fleet. USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), the cruiser attached to the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, helped provide meals for the crew, Comer said.

Contractor tugboats towed Benfold to Subic Bay where it was met by personnel from the Ship Repair Facility – Japan Regional Maintenance Center on July 28, with crew receiving contracted lodging off the ship the next day. Power was restored on July 30, Comer said.

All repairs were completed by Aug. 7 when the ship completed a berth shift for fuel. The destroyer left Subic Bay on Aug. 8.

Benfold, which had been sailing with the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, pulled into Yokosuka, Japan, on Thursday, according to ship spotters. It did not transit the Malacca Strait with the other ships of the GW CSG, which are likely heading toward the Middle East.

The timing of this engineering failure incident is very bad for the navy, given already there’s much scrutiny being placed on long deployments at sea connected to the Iran conflict.

Congressional leaders are currently focused on the beleaguered USS Abraham Lincoln, amid reports of problems in supplying the ship and mental health problems following a record-deployment.

The Hill reports Monday that “A group of 15 senators said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth owes Americans answers about the ongoing deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group after reports of low morale and a mental health crisis among service members aboard.”