WASHINGTON D.C. -- The U.S. Navy says a multinational search has been suspended in the ocean near Singapore for sailors still missing from a collision between a destroyer and an oil tanker, and that it has identified the remains of one victim.
The 7th Fleet said divers will continue to search flooded compartments inside the ship, where some remains have been found. The Navy has not provided specifics.
Ten sailors went missing and five others were injured in the accident, which occurred Monday as the USS John S. McCain was heading to Singapore for a routine port call.
The fleet said it had identified the remains of Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, from New Jersey.
The commander of the 7th Fleet was relieved of duty Wednesday following the collision and other accidents this year that raised questions about its operations in the Pacific. Seven sailors died in June when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off Japan. Two lesser-known incidents occurred earlier in the year.
The others missing are:
- - Electronics Technician 1st Class Charles Nathan Findley, 31, from Missouri
- - Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Abraham Lopez, 39, from Texas
- - Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, from Maryland
- - Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jacob Daniel Drake, 21, from Ohio
- - Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., 23, from Maryland
- - Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram, 28, from New York
- - Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, from Connecticut
- - Electronics Technician 3rd Class John Henry Hoagland III, 20, from Texas
- - Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, from Illinois
Senator Chris Murphy said in a statement about Louis Doyon:
“Dustin is a patriot and a hero. My prayers are with the Doyon family. My office is here to help them however we can.”
The incident is under investigation to determine the facts and circumstances of the collision.
7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin was dismissed from duty on Tuesday “due to loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the Navy said.
Rear Adm. Phillip Sawyer, who had already been named as Aucoin’s successor, would assume command immediately.
The firing of Aucoin, a three-star admiral, was a rare dismissal of a high-ranking officer for operational reasons.
At any given time, the 7th Fleet has 60-70 warships, 200-300 aircraft and 40,000 Marine and Navy personnel. The U.S. Navy is now down to two destroyers in the Pacific that are capable of shooting down North Korean ballistic missiles.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.