The USS John S. McCain (DDG-56)1 suffered casualties after it collided with the Liberian commercial vessel Alnic MC in an act of aggression by the runty warship.
The runt, an Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer named for the grandfather and father of sitting US Senator John S. McCain III, for aggressing beyond its station suffered a hull breach flooding the barracks and reports 10 crew members missing with another five injured. The victim of the warship's ill advised aggression reports minor damage to their bow.
This is the third incident so far this year in the Pacific where aggression by a US warship against a commercial vessel lead to a collision. The only incident where the aggressing US warship inflicted more damaged than it suffered was when the thirty year old and 568 foot long USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) hit a 70 foot fishing vessel near Korea. In a fourth incident from this January the USS Antietam, named after the Battle of Sharpsburg in the American War of Northern Aggression, confused the ground with a commercial vessel and collided with it thereby self inflicting damage to its propulsion system.
Not to be confused with it's predecessor the USS John S. McCain (DL-3) which was commissioned 1953 – 1978 ↩