American destroyer breaks down in the Pacific Ocean, 300 sailors without water, meals, toilets

A US destroyer with about 300 sailors on board suffered a major malfunction in the Pacific Ocean last month, leaving it without power for four days, the US Navy confirmed in a statement.

On July 24, the USS Benfold “reported an engineering failure involving its generators, which caused a loss of power,” Navy spokesman Commodore Matthew Comer said in a statement.

The crew was without drinking water, meals, functional toilets and air conditioning for days, Komer said of the incident, which was only reported on Friday by the specialized Navy news service USNI News.

The Pentagon is facing major questions about the quality of life aboard Navy ships and the ability to supply ships during a conflict with Iran.

Opposition Democratic lawmakers are demanding an investigation into conditions on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which reports last week revealed was running low on supplies, including food and hygiene products, after a record 250 days at sea, and crew members are stressed and some in poor mental health.

Comer stressed that there were no injuries among the Benfold crew, who “demonstrated resilience, courage, professionalism and unwavering steadfastness in their response” to the difficulties caused by the malfunction, but that the ship required assistance from the aircraft carrier strike group, the George Washington. The cruiser USS Robert Smalls, part of its escort, delivered food to the disabled destroyer.

Comer said the Benfold had to be towed to Subic Bay, in the Philippines, for repairs, where it arrived on July 28. The crew was then provided with food and accommodation off the ship. The Benfold sailed from that base on August 8 and “all engineering, combat and crew support systems were functioning normally,” the statement said.

Ships from the George Washington strike group, including the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, were spotted sailing toward the Middle East. The carrier was expected to replace the Lincoln, which was named by Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao last week.