The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Benfold suffered a complete power failure in the South China Sea last month, leaving sailors without potable water, prepared food, working toilets or air conditioning for four days before the ship was towed to the Philippines.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A U.S. Navy destroyer operating with the George Washington carrier strike group lost all electrical power for four days in the South China Sea, forcing other ships to supply food and leaving the crew without drinkable water, functional toilets or air conditioning.
The USS Benfold experienced an “engineering casualty involving its generators” on July 24 while sailing with the carrier strike group, U.S. 7th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Matthew Comer said, according to The Washington Post.
The generator failure resulted in a complete loss of power aboard the guided-missile destroyer.
During the outage, sailors were unable to use the ship’s normal drinking-water systems, prepared-meal facilities, toilets or air conditioning.
The Navy did not immediately explain why the incident was not publicly disclosed sooner.
Other vessels operating with the strike group assisted the Benfold while the disabled destroyer was being towed to a port in the Philippines.
Among them was the cruiser USS Robert Smalls, which provided meals to Benfold’s crew during the transit.
After reaching port, sailors were provided contracted lodging and meals ashore while repairs continued.
“There were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience, grit, professionalism, and unwavering steadiness,” Comer said.
Electrical power was restored July 30, six days after the initial engineering casualty.
The Benfold returned to operations approximately a week later, according to the Navy.
It was not immediately clear whether the destroyer rejoined the George Washington carrier strike group or returned to its home port in Japan.
USNI News had previously reported the incident.
The breakdown comes as the Navy faces sustained operational pressure from expanded U.S. military commitments in the Middle East and Latin America.
Some ships have remained at sea beyond their originally planned deployment schedules, creating additional strain on crews and delaying maintenance periods.
The USS George Washington itself is now headed toward the Middle East, where it is expected to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The Lincoln has been deployed for more than 200 days.
Recent reports have described declining morale among some sailors aboard the carrier, along with problems involving food and sanitation during the prolonged deployment.
The Trump administration has relied extensively on Navy assets during the past year as part of multiple military and national-security campaigns.
Beginning last fall, more than a dozen warships were dispatched to the Caribbean as U.S. forces began operations targeting the Latin American narcotics trade.
Navy vessels were later involved in the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The fleet was also used to blockade Venezuela and conduct strikes against vessels suspected of carrying narcotics.
At the same time, dozens of U.S. warships have been deployed to the Middle East during the Trump administration’s war with Iran.
Navy forces have also been used to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports while negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled.
Those overlapping deployments have increased maintenance demands across the fleet.
Two aircraft carriers involved in extended Middle East operations have already encountered significant problems.
The USS Gerald R. Ford suffered a fire and issues with its toilet systems before returning to Norfolk, Virginia, in May after spending more than 300 days deployed.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, also recently visited the USS Abraham Lincoln after reports emerged that sailors aboard the carrier were struggling with conditions during its extended time at sea.
The Benfold incident adds another example of the operational and maintenance challenges facing the Navy as ships and crews sustain prolonged deployments across multiple regions.
Although no sailors were injured and the destroyer ultimately returned to service, the four-day loss of power left the crew without several basic shipboard systems while operating in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive maritime regions.
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