South Jersey Man Missing From USS John McCain

CHERRY HILL, NJ — A U.S. Navy member from Cherry Hill is among 10 sailors missing in the aftermath of the collision of the USS John S. McCain and a merchant ship off the coast of Singapore.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Kenneth Smith, 22, works in radar technology, according to the Courier Post. His current rank is E-4. He joined the Navy for the education, aspires to be a video game developer and posts science fiction stories online.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Petty Officer Kenneth Smith at this difficult time. Each and every one of us in Camden County are proud of his service and humbled by his dedication to our grateful nation," Camden County Freeholder Bill Moen said early Wednesday afternoon. "His commitment to become a third-generation sailor, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather before him, is truly inspirational. He exemplifies a life of service to others. While the search continues we have directed our county Office of Veteran Affairs Office to assist the family in any way possible. Whenever a member of our community selflessly commits themselves to the defense and protection of our great nation it is imperative for us to provide whatever support and comfort we can to the family during times of distress.”

The Michigan native moved to Virginia when he was in high school, and later moved to Cherry Hill, according to NBC 10. One of Smith’s classmates from Cherry Hill High School East told the network Smith always wanted to follow his father into the Navy.

Smith’s mother, April Brandon of Milford, Michigan, said she was told her son was unaccounted for by two officers who visited her on Monday, according to philly.com. The names of the missing have not officially been released.

“I appreciate the courageous work of the crew in the aftermath of the collision and the ongoing rescue efforts,” Smith’s father, Darryl Smith, told the New York Times.

The warship is named after Arizona Sen. John McCain's grandfather and father, both of whom were Navy admirals. The McCain collided with a merchant vessel Monday, leaving 10 sailors missing. On Tuesday, Navy and Marine Corps divers started searching sealed compartments inside the ship. Adm. Scott Swift said on Tuesday that divers were able to locate the remains of some of the sailors in sealed compartments, but none of them have been identified yet. He also didn’t say how many had been found.

The Navy says the McCain was on its way to make a routine port visit in Singapore when it collided with the Liberian-flagged ship Alnic MC while heading to Singapore just before 6:30 a.m. local time.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy via Associated Press