US Navy destroyer left without power for 4 days in South China Sea
The incident involving the USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, last month was caused by an engineering failure.
The USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, faced a significant setback in July 2026 when it experienced a four-day power outage in the South China Sea. The ship, part of the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, reported an engineering malfunction involving its generators, which resulted in a complete loss of power.
Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a spokesperson for the US 7th Fleet, confirmed that there were no injuries among the crew members, who displayed remarkable resilience and professionalism throughout the ordeal. The power failure left the sailors without essential services such as galley services, functioning toilets, and air conditioning, as well as impacting the ship's potable water supply.
In response, the USS Robert Smalls, a cruiser from the strike group, provided meals for the crew during the incident. An investigation into the cause of the event is currently underway.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- US Navy destroyer left without power for 4 days in South China Sea freemalaysiatoday.com
