Navy investigating power failure aboard destroyer in South China Sea

Navy officials are investigating how the destroyer USS Benfold lost power for several days last month, prompting the ship to be towed to Subic Bay, Philippines, for repairs, said Cmdr. Matthew Comer, spokesperson for the 7th Fleet.

“There were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience, grit, professionalism, and unwavering steadiness in their response,” Comer told Task & Purpose.

USNI News first reported on the power outage aboard the Benfold. A U.S. official confirmed to Task & Purpose that the ship was in the South China Sea at the time.

The incident took place on July 24, when an “engineering casualty” involving one of the ship’s generators caused the destroyer to lose power, Comer said. None of the crew were injured as a result. 

“The loss of power impacted potable water, galley services, toilets and air conditioning aboard the ship,” Comer said. “We commend the crew on their actions and resilience.”

The Benfold received support from other ships in the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, including the cruiser USS Robert Smalls, which provided meals to the sailors aboard the destroyer, Comer said.

Towed by commercial tugboats, the Benfold arrived in Subic Bay on July 28, and the ship’s crew was provided food and lodging off the ship starting the following day, Comer said. Power was restored on July 30, and repairs were completed on Aug. 7.

“The ship departed Subic Bay, Aug. 8, with all engineering, combat systems, and crew support systems functioning normally to resume routine operations in U.S. 7th Fleet,” Comer said.

It is extremely rare for a Navy ship to lose power for such a long period of time, said retired Navy Capt. Bradley Martin, a senior policy researcher with the RAND Corporation.

Once a ship loses power, circumstances can become incredibly difficult for its crew, Martin told Task & Purpose.

“Potable water would be limited to bottled water,” Martin said. “Food would be limited to canned stores, of which ships have some, plus whatever could be broken out of freezers and refrigerators for brief periods of access.”

While the food and water provided by the USS Robert Smalls would have helped, Martin suggested that the Benfold’s crew would have had a “wholly miserable experience.”

“Toilets would literally be buckets and other containers thrown over the side,” he explained. “But the interior of the ship would be unbearably hot absent ventilation. Topside hatches and doors could be opened for ventilation, but I suspect people would be required to sleep on deck.”

Hendrick Simoes, a retired Navy senior chief petty officer, said there were times when he served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the early 2000s when the ship completely lost power. These outages typically lasted several hours, not days.

“When something goes wrong hundreds of miles from land, there can be this very profound realization that the crew around you is what you’ve got,” Simoes told Task & Purpose. “There isn’t necessarily someone coming immediately to fix the problem for you. The crew has to come together, troubleshoot it, and keep the ship safe while they figure it out. I think that’s one of the reasons the Navy puts so much emphasis on sailors being problem-solvers.”