The USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer operating with the George Washington carrier strike group, experienced a significant power failure in the South China Sea during July. According to reports from the US Naval Institute News, the vessel remained without electrical power for approximately four days before being towed to Subic Bay in the Philippines.
An engineering casualty affecting the destroyer’s generator systems caused the outage, leaving crew members without essential services including food preparation facilities, sanitation systems, and air conditioning. The USS Robert Smalls, another vessel in the strike group, assisted by providing meals to the affected sailors. Power was successfully restored two days after the ship reached port on July 28.
Fleet officials confirmed that no injuries resulted from the incident and praised the crew’s response. The incident has drawn renewed attention to concerns about the physical and mental well-being of sailors during extended deployments, particularly as the USS George Washington strike group prepares to relieve another carrier in the Middle East.
Originally reported by Theguardian →
About the Author
