In dry dock bow view

In dry dock, stern view

Hull patch

More Damage

Another view of patch

Following its collision with a cargo ship, the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) is in dry dock, and it got seriously damaged.

Now we have pictures, and this ain’t just door dings:

A new series of photos released on Wednesday by U.S. 7th fleet now show the hidden damage suffered by USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) from its June 17 collision with a merchant vessel.

The pictures of the guided missile destroyer from the Navy’s dry dock facility in Yokosuka, Japan show the size of the hole the bulbous bow of ACX Crystal punched into Fitzgerald’s starboard side amidships below the waterline.

Four five foot by 20-foot hull patches have been installed to cover the hull breach welded in place by divers since the ship was been pier-side following the collision.

While published images from Fitzgerald show the extensive damage to the ship’s superstructure above the waterline – including the collision’s effect on the ship’s A/N-SPY-1D(v) radar and the crushed commander’s cabin – the Wednesday images are the first that show how badly the destroyer was wounded below the waterline.

The below-the-waterline collision flooded two berthing spaces and one machinery space and resulted in the death of seven sailors.

This really is kind of horrifying to look at in detail.

I do look forward into an inquiry as to what happened, but US Navy culture being what it is, it is clear that the career of the Fitzgerald’s skipper is over.