They were in the compartments that got flooded after colliding with a Philippine container ship

  YOKOSUKA – The seven missing sailors of the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald were found dead inside the berthing compartments that got flooded after colliding with a Philippine-registered container ship off this coastal Japanese city before dawn last Saturday, a US Navy official revealed yesterday. Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, commander of the US Navy 7th Fleet, to which the stricken warship belonged, said the bodies of the seven sailors aged between 19 and 37 were found inside the 10,000-ton vessel yesterday morning after it docked at the Yokosuka Naval Base. Aucoin said: "We have found a number of the remains of our missing shipmates and our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those shipmates." The Navy released the names of the fatalities. They are: Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, Virginia; Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego; Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, Connecticut; Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, Texas; Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlosvictor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, California; Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, Maryland; and Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., 37, from Elyria, Ohio. Aucoin told reporters the collision with the 29,000-ton ACX Crystal caused a "big gash underneath the water" along the warship's bottom, adding that the flow of seawater from the hole into the compartments that served as berthing areas for 116 of the ship's 330 crew men was "tremendous". "There wasn't a lot of time in those spaces that were open to the sea," he added. Aucoin also said the cabin of the Fitzgerald's captain, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was completely destroyed in the accident. Benson was injured and is confined at the naval hospital in Yokosuka, along with two other sailors. Aucoin also said the Fitzgerald had been in danger of sinking but the crew managed to keep the ship afloat by pumping out water from the flooded compartments. The collision between the Fitzgerald and the ACX Crystal occurred at 2:20 a.m. last Saturday off Izu Peninsula. The maritime area sees 400 to 500 vessels crossing it daily, according to reports. The US warship sustained heavy damage on its starboard or right side. A 7th Fleet statement said the Fitzgerald suffered "significant damage and associated flooding to two berthing spaces, a machinery space, and the radio room." The ACX Crystal, being a much larger vessel, suffered light damage. No one aboard the container ship was injured. Meanwhile, multiple investigations by Japanese and Philippine authorities will be conducted on the accident because the accident took place off Japan and the ACX Crystal is a Philippine-registered vessel. The ACX Crystal is owned by Dainichi-Invest Corporation and charered by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), according to NYK. The NYK said, "Our thoughts and deep concerns go out to all those directly affected." 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