U.S. Navy Destroyer USS Benfold Suffers Four-Day Power Loss in South China Sea, Requiring Tow to Philippines
A U.S. guided-missile destroyer, the USS Benfold, experienced a four-day power outage in the South China Sea last month due to an engineering casualty involving its generators. The incident, which occurred on July 24, necessitated towing the warship to Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs, where power was restored two days later. According to Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a spokesperson for U.S. 7th Fleet, there were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience and professionalism. The power loss significantly impacted onboard services, including galley operations, toilets, air conditioning, and potable water. The USS Robert Smalls, a guided-missile cruiser, provided meals to the Benfold's crew during this period. The Navy has not yet disclosed whether the casualty affected critical systems such as propulsion, navigation, communications, sensors, or weapons systems, and an investigation into the cause of the failure is underway. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer was operating with the USS George Washing... 
