August 18 - The US Navy has confirmed that it will use a heavy lift semi-submersible ship to transport the damaged destroyer USS Fitzgerald from Japan back to the USA.
Cdr Clay Doss, public affairs officer of the US Seventh Fleet, says that USS Fitzgerald will be transported to a repair location in the USA this autumn, but a shipping line has yet to be contracted and no shipyard for the repairs has been selected.
Full details of the project offering can be seen here.
In June, USS Fitzgerald collided with the container ship ACX Crystal off Yokohama, leading to considerable damage to the ship's superstructure and communications equipment, as well as the sad deaths of seven sailors.
In 2000, the US Navy used the heavy lift ship Blue Marlin to take the damaged destroyer USS Cole back to the USA.
