Texas Navy Sailor Killed In USS Fitzgerald Collision Off The Coast Of Japan

YOKOSUKA, JAPAN — A Texas resident is among the seven sailors found dead in flooded berthing compartments on the USS Fitzgerald after a collision with another vessel at sea off the coast of Japan, officials confirmed on Sunday.

Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, of Weslaco, Texas, was one of seven sailors who perished after the missile-destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine container ship off the coast of Japan on Friday night, officials said in a news release issued on Sunday.

Hernandez hailed from Weslaco, a town on the southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley region of the state. Relatives told news outlets Hernandez was of Guatemalan descent, and was the pride of his family for his service to the U.S. .

A cousin of the late sailor told CBS 11 that Hernandez died of a head injury while he slept. News of his death came "...like a kick to the chest" to family members, the cousin told the news station. The family member told the news station that Hernandez had married his high school sweetheart, Dora, while she participated in the ROTC program. The couple's son, still a toddler, also survives Hernandez, according to the report.

Commander Ron Flanders, a spokesman for the U.S. Naval Forces in Japan, told KRGV that Hernandez was in one of the bunk rooms, known as the berthing space of the ship, when it was struck by a 30,000-ton Philippine cargo ship. The bulbous portion of the foreign ship hit the crew's living quarters, giving surviving sailors mere minutes to escape, according to the report.

"The crew shined in this moment and kept the ship afloat," Flanders told the news station. "Unfortunately, two of the ships crew birthing spaces where the sailors were sleeping were flooded and seven sailors were trapped inside and were lost at that time."

The other sailors who died in the aftermath of the collision are:

- Gunner’s Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, Va.

- Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, Calif.

- Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, Conn.

- Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlosvictor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, Calif.

- Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, Md.

- Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., 37, from Elyria, Ohio

Related story: USS Fitzgerald Collision: What You Need To Know

Here's more information about the ship and collision:

What is the USS Fitzgerald?

Navy destroyers are warships that provide offensive and defensive capabilities. They can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups and can conduct anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. According to the Navy, the destroyer was born out of a need to counter the torpedo boat, which first appeared in the Chilean Civil War of 1891 and in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894. The USS Fitzgerald is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that was commissioned in 1994.

What was the USS Fitzgerald doing in Japan?

The USS Fitzgerald has been in Japan since 2004 and is one of 15 destroyers and three cruisers used to counter ballistic missile threats worldwide and is part of the Navy's Seventh Fleet. The ship has since participated in a number of exercises with navies of different countries and in 2011, along with the USS Ronald Reagan, it was deployed to assist with relief efforts after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

What happened during the collision?

According to the Navy, the ship was involved in a collision with a merchant vessel around 2:20 a.m. local time on Saturday though details surrounding the incident are unclear. Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin said at a press conference that he is launching an investigation and will be assigning a flag officer to lead that investigation.
There will also be a safety investigation and the U.S. Coast Guard will take the lead on the marine casualty investigation.

Aucoin provided a bit more detail on what happened to the ship during the collision.
"The damage included a significant impact under the ship's pilothouse on the starboard side and a large puncture below the ship's waterline, opening the hull to the sea," Aucoin said. "The ship suffered severe damage rapidly flooding 3 large compartments that included 1 machinery room and 2 berthing areas for 116 crew. The Commanding Officer's cabin was also directly hit, trapping the CO inside."

The commanding officer, Cdr. Bryce Benson, was one of three crew members who were medically evacuated. All those evacuated are awake and remain under observation.

>>> Photo via U.S. Navy