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Sad news, stark reminder today that not every military casualty is on a battlefield. Glad the rest of the crew safely evacuated.
This bit at the end caught my eye, sound familiar?
Observers say the increased tempo of these exercises, as well as a shortage of recruits, may be creating harsh working conditions that contribute to accidents.
One crew member missing after fire sinks MSDF minesweeper
This bit at the end caught my eye, sound familiar?
Observers say the increased tempo of these exercises, as well as a shortage of recruits, may be creating harsh working conditions that contribute to accidents.
One crew member missing after fire sinks MSDF minesweeper
One crew member missing after fire sinks MSDF minesweeper
The bow of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Ukushima minesweeper is seen early Monday after most of the ship was submerged in waters off Fukuoka Prefecture following a fire that erupted in its engine room. | Fukuoka Coast Guard / VIA JIJI
By Jesse Johnson
STAFF WRITER
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Nov 11, 2024
A Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweeper sank off Fukuoka Prefecture early Monday after catching fire a day earlier, leaving one crew member missing and another injured, the MSDF said.
The fire erupted in the Ukushima minesweeper’s engine room, MSDF officials said, with a 33-year-old petty officer third class believed to have been trapped there. The ship capsized early Monday, sinking later that morning about 2 kilometers north of Oshima, an island in the city of Munakata.
The MSDF and the Japan Coast Guard are working together to search for the missing sailor. That search continued on Monday, with divers taking part.
"The government will do its utmost to search for the missing person and take all possible measures to investigate the cause of the accident and prevent a recurrence," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference Monday.
The injured sailor, who is in his 20s, was taken to a hospital for treatment after inhaling smoke, but his condition is not life-threatening.
The fire, which started near the ship's engine room around 9:43 a.m., was initially brought under control but restarted multiple times overnight, until it was completely extinguished as the vessel became submerged.
Smoke rises from the MSDF's Ukushima minesweeper after a fire broke out aboard the vessel off the coast of Oshima island, in Munakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, earlier on Sunday. | Fukuoka Coast Guard / VIA JIJI
Earlier Sunday, the crew of roughly 40 was evacuated from the Ukushima to the nearby Toyoshima minesweeper as the fire intensified. A number of explosions were later heard emanating from the burning ship.
MSDF Chief of Staff Adm. Akira Saito told a news conference Sunday night that a committee has been established to investigate the cause of the fire.
The Ukushima, which was homeported at the MSDF's base in the city of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, had been scheduled to take part in minesweeping training to be conducted in waters off Miyazaki Prefecture.
MSDF minesweepers such as the Ukushima, which are tasked with clearing naval mines laid at sea, employ wooden hulls to prevent the explosive devices from reacting to magnetism and exploding.
The fire comes after two MSDF SH-60K patrol helicopters collided in midair during training to search for submarines in April, leaving all eight crew members of the two choppers dead. Over the summer, the MSDF released a report of an investigation into the accident that determined its cause as insufficient lookout and inadequate altitude control by members of the crew.
That accident came on the heels of another deadly crash involving the Ground Self-Defense Force's model of the helicopter, off Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture. That accident killed all 10 aboard the chopper, making it the GSDF’s deadliest accident ever.
The Self-Defense Forces have ramped up the pace of sometimes complicated military drills in recent years as the security environment around Japan deteriorates. Observers say the increased tempo of these exercises, as well as a shortage of recruits, may be creating harsh working conditions that contribute to accidents.
