Navy ship without power for 4 days in South China Sea
A power failure aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer operating in the South China Sea last month left the ship's crew without potable water, hot food, working toilets or air conditioning for four days.
The outage stemmed from an engineering failure aboard the USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a 7th Fleet spokesperson, said in a statement to ABC News.
The incident adds to concerns about the strain on the Navy as it juggles the Iran war and an expanding slate of global commitments.
The Benfold, a 30-year-old ship, was sailing with the George Washington carrier strike group on July 24 when an issue with the ship's generators caused a complete loss of power aboard the destroyer, according to Comer.
The George Washington strike group is slated to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, where the carrier and its crew have faced an extended deployment supporting the Iran war.
"There were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience, grit, professionalism, and unwavering steadiness in their response," Comer said of the power failure on the Benfold.
It's unclear why the incident wasn't disclosed by the sea service at the time.
ABC News reached out to the Navy for more information about the circumstances surrounding the power outage.
The Benfold was towed by contracted tugboats to Subic Bay in the Philippines, arriving July 28, where Navy maintenance specialists met the ship to begin repairs. Sailors were provided food and moved into contracted lodging ashore beginning the following day, Comer said.
Power was restored July 30, and repairs were completed on Aug. 7; the Benfold departed Subic Bay a day later, Comer added.
It’s unclear whether the Benfold returned to its home port of Japan or continued to sail with the Washington.
