A Navy guided-missile destroyer sailing in the tension-filled South China Sea was dead in the water for four days after a system failure, according to the Navy’s 7th Fleet.
The destroyer USS Benfold suffered an electrical blackout and was immobile in the waterway and eventually towed to Subic Bay, Philippines, Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a spokesman for the Navy’s 7th Fleet, said in a statement.
Cmdr. Comer said the incident took place last month and the destroyer was supported by another Navy warship sailing with the aircraft carrier strike group led by the carrier USS George Washington.
The ships were in the sea as part of a visit to Vietnam along with routine operations in the contested waterway.
China is claiming 90% of the South China Sea as its sovereign maritime territory, a claim rejected by the United States and its allies in the region, including the Philippines.
“On July 24, 2026, while conducting routine operations in the Indo-Pacific, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) reported an engineering casualty involving its generators, causing a loss of power,” Cmdr. Comer said.
“There were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience, grit, professionalism and unwavering steadiness in their response,” he said.
Word of the stricken warship comes amid disputed reports of low morale caused by the lengthy deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Middle East.
The Navy announced last week that the Washington strike group in Southeast Asia is being rushed to the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln strike group.
The Washington carrier group was identified by online ship spotters recently transiting the Malacca Strait apparently on the way to the Middle East.
The transfer leaves the Pacific Command without a single forward-deployed carrier needed to deter any Chinese assault on Taiwan or a potential attack on the Philippines or Japan.
The Benfold’s electrical power loss is being investigated by the Navy, Cmdr. Comer said.
Without electrical power, sailors and officers on the warship were left without galley services, toilets, and air conditioning, and drinking water was also affected, he said, noting, “We commend the crew on their actions and resilience.”
The guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls, sailing with the carrier strike group. provided meals for the crew, Cmdr. Comer said.
Tugboats contracted by the sea service towed the Benfold to Subic Bay where workers from the Ship Repair Facility — Japan Regional Maintenance Center began work to restore power on July 28.
Crew members were fed and lodged ashore a day later and power was restored to the ship on July 30, Cmdr. Comer said.
“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,” Cmdr. Comer said.
International shipping data services showed that the Benfold reached Yokosuka, Japan, on Thursday.
The power outage was first reported by the online newsletter USNI News.
In the Middle East, the Lincoln has been at sea since November and its forces launched thousands of combat sorties during the Iran conflict.
Relatives of some of the carrier’s crew reported an increase in mental health crises aboard the ship, including suicide attempts. Navy officials later confirmed that a sailor assigned to the Lincoln’s air wing jumped overboard from the ship in early August and was rescued.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth then condemned as “reckless and shameless” U.S. media reports that he says misrepresented the conditions aboard the carrier.
A second public relations problem for Navy forces in the region surfaced on Sunday when the Naval Forces Central Command dismissed what it said were false reports that female sailors and Marines aboard the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, were experiencing a shortage of hygiene products.
“The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group remains fully equipped and prepared to execute all assigned missions,” the Navy said.
The Benfold was built in 1991 and is one of the first destroyers equipped with the Aegis battle management system that powers both offensive and defensive missile systems.
The destroyer was given a major, $32 million upgrade in 2011 with both mechanical and electrical advances that included a newer bridge, and improved machinery and damage controls, an advanced galley and new computer gear.
The ship underwent a second modernization in 2013 with extensive upgraded combat systems, notably an upgrade of the Aegis missile defense system and addition of the advanced cooperative engagement system that fuses sensor and targeting data.
The Benfold has taken part in numerous freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea since 2021, including transits near disputed Spratly and Paracel islands.
In August 2023, the Benfold and three other destroyers shadowed a joint Chinese Russian naval patrol near Alaska.
On Sunday, Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper visited the long-serving Lincoln and promised the 5,000 sailors and Marines on board that relief was on the way.
Adm. Cooper acknowledged the mental health challenges faced by the crew, but he defended the Lincoln’s record in a statement posted to social media.
“Here’s an important fact: Of the U.S. Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln currently has among the lowest number of cases related to mental health … This doesn’t mean that all is perfect. Find any of the nearly 4 million Navy veterans in America today and they will likely tell you that service at sea for long periods isn’t for everyone,” the four-star admiral stated in the post.
• Mike Glenn contributed to this story.
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