US Navy destroyer spent 4 days without power in South China Sea

A U.S. Navy destroyer went days in the South China Sea without power last month, leaving sailors without potable water, galley services, toilets or air conditioning.

USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, suffered an “engineering casualty” with its generators, causing a power outage for four days while conducting routine operations in the Indo-Pacific, 7th Fleet spokesperson Cmdr. Matthew Comer told Military Times.

Comer declined to comment about where exactly the incident occurred, but multiple news outlets reported it happened in the South China Sea.

The ship received support from the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, which included meals from Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls.

The engineering incident occurred July 24, forcing the destroyer to be towed by contracted tugboats into Subic Bay, Philippines, for repairs on July 28. The ship was met upon arrival by subject-matter experts from Ship Repair Facility-Japan Regional Maintenance Center, Comer said.

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

The day after arriving in the Philippines, the ship’s crew received food and contracted lodging off board. Benfold’s power was restored July 30, and all necessary repairs were completed prior to the ship berth shifting for fuel over a week later on Aug. 7.

All engineering, combat systems and crew support systems were functioning normally by the time the ship left Subic Bay on Aug. 8.

“The crew was directly supported by ships in the strike group while at sea and every effort was made to ensure the crew was supported on arrival in Subic Bay, Philippines,” Comer said.

The engineering mishap is under investigation, Comer said.

The incident follows reports of poor morale and mental health conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for nine months, part of which has been in support of U.S. military operations against Iran.

Recently, U.S. Central Command leader Adm. Brad Cooper visited the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier after Military Times learned that at least two sailors attempted to go overboard during the ship’s extended deployment.

Cooper said that service at sea can be challenging but asserted that the Lincoln has the lowest number of mental health cases among the Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers.

U.S. lawmakers have begun pressing the service for information on the Lincoln’s conditions and to elaborate on the ship’s lengthened deployment schedule, asking for reports on the ship’s problems with basic supplies, water, plumbing, mental health, deck safety and mail.

But Pentagon and White House leaders have continued to dismiss concerns, with President Donald Trump saying the deployment’s length is “not nearly long enough.”

Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.

上个月，一艘美国海军驱逐舰在南海断电数日，导致水兵们没有饮用水、厨房服务、厕所或空调。

美国第七舰队发言人马修·科默中校告诉《军事时报》，阿利·伯克级导弹驱逐舰“本福尔德”号在印太地区执行例行任务时，发电机发生“工程故障”，导致停电四天。

科默拒绝透露事件发生的具体地点，但多家新闻媒体报道称事件发生在南海。

该舰得到了乔治·华盛顿号航母打击群的支持，其中包括来自提康德罗加级导弹巡洋舰罗伯特·斯莫尔斯号的餐食。

7月24日发生工程事故，迫使这艘驱逐舰于7月28日由承包的拖船拖至菲律宾苏比克湾进行维修。科默表示，该舰抵达时，日本船舶修理厂区域维修中心的相关专家已在现场迎接。

科默说：“机组人员没有受伤，他们在应对事故时展现出了韧性、勇气、专业精神和坚定不移的沉着冷静。”

抵达菲律宾的第二天，船员们就领到了食物，并在船外安排了住宿。7月30日，“本福尔德”号恢复了电力供应，所有必要的维修工作都在一周多后的8月7日船舶转移泊位加油之前完成。

8月8日该舰离开苏比克湾时，所有工程系统、作战系统和船员支援系统均正常运转。

科默说：“船员在海上航行期间得到了打击群舰艇的直接支援，并尽一切努力确保船员抵达菲律宾苏比克湾后得到支援。”

科默表示，工程事故正在调查中。

此前有报道称，美国“亚伯拉罕·林肯”号航空母舰上的士气低落，精神健康状况堪忧。该舰已部署九个月，其中一部分时间用于支援美国对伊朗的军事行动。

近日，美国中央司令部司令布拉德·库珀海军上将视察了尼米兹级航空母舰。此前，《军事时报》获悉，该舰在长期部署期间，至少有两名水兵试图跳海。

库珀表示，海上服役可能充满挑战，但他断言，在海军现役的 11 艘航空母舰中，“林肯”号的心理健康病例数量最少。

美国议员们已开始向海军施压，要求其提供有关“林肯”号航母状况的信息，并详细说明该舰延长的部署计划，同时要求其提交有关该舰在基本物资供应、用水、管道、精神健康、甲板安全和邮件方面存在问题的报告。

但五角大楼和白宫领导人继续对各方担忧不予理睬，唐纳德·特朗普总统表示，此次部署的持续时间“远远不够长”。

克里斯蒂娜·斯塔西斯是一位记者，主要报道国防工业、国家安全、军事/退伍军人事务等领域的新闻。她曾于2024年在《防务新闻》担任编辑助理，协助Sightline媒体集团旗下新闻编辑室处理突发新闻。