US Navy vessels made contact during a replenishment-at-sea operation in the Caribbean, U.S. Southern Command said, and the report itself described how us navy ships collide when underway alongside each other. The Arleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Truxtun and the Supply-class fast combat support vessel USNS Supply collided while transferring supplies.
U.S. Southern Command spokesperson Steven McLoud told multiple news outlets that two sailors suffered minor injuries and that both were in stable condition. He said both ships reported sailing safely after the incident and that the cause of the collision is under investigation.
A replenishment usually involves the transfer of fuel, ammunition, food and supplies between ships while moving, the statement noted. The operation requires close maneuvering and coordination as the vessels maintain course and speed to pass stores and fuel between them.
Deployment Context And Past Collisions
The collision came as a larger US military presence operates in the Southern Command region under an effort called Southern Spear, a deployment ordered by President Donald Trump to help combat drug trafficking. Around 12 vessels are currently deployed in the region, the statement said, and that group includes the USS Gerald R. Ford, described as the largest aircraft carrier in the world.
News reports contrasted this collision with another recent carrier incident. An investigation released in December into a prior collision involving the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and a merchant vessel found the ship was operating at an unsafely high speed while behind schedule.
The December investigation concluded that, as a merchant ship moved into a collision path with the carrier, the officer navigating did not take sufficient action to avoid danger. Investigators also found the carrier would have needed almost a mile and a half to stop after halting its engines at the speed it was traveling.
The Associated Press contributed to the reporting on these events, according to an editor's note included with the original account. The Navy has opened an investigation into the latest collision to determine causes and any lessons for underway replenishment operations.
