Navy identifies sailors killed in collision

The Navy identified Sunday the seven sailors killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippines-flagged merchant ship on Saturday.

The remains of seven sailors initally reported missing were located in flooded berthing compartments after divers gained access, a statement from the Navy said.

Those killed in Saturday’s accident were: Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, Va.; Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, Calif.; Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, Conn.; Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, Texas; Carlosvictor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, Calif.; Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, Md.; and Gary Leo Rehm Jr., 37, from Elyria, Ohio.

{mosads}The incident is currently under investigation, the Navy said.

The damage “could have been much worse” if not for emergency efforts by the crew, the Navy’s Seventh Fleet Commander said Sunday.

The early Saturday morning collision with a Philippines-flagged merchant ship in the Sea of Japan caused extensive damage to the USS Fitzgerald, a guided-missile destroyer.