The Latest: Aircraft, vessels search for missing US sailors

YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — The Latest on a U.S. Navy ship collision (all times local):

4:30 a.m.

Aircraft and vessels are searching for seven missing American sailors in the sea off Japan after a pre-dawn collision between a Navy destroyer and a huge cargo ship.

Investigators now face trying to determine how a sophisticated U.S. warship collided with a container ship four times its size.

The USS Fitzgerald was back at its home port in Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo on Saturday with extensive damage to its hull.

Most of the more than 200 sailors aboard would have been asleep in their berths during the pre-dawn crash.

The Navy says the ship was damaged above and below the water line.

11:35 p.m.

President Donald Trump has thanked Japan for its help in the search for seven Navy sailors who are missing after their U.S. destroyer collided with a container ship.

Trump tweeted Saturday morning Washington time: "Thoughts and prayers with the sailors of USS Fitzgerald and their families. Thank you to our Japanese allies for their assistance."

The USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship four times its size off the coast of Japan before dawn Saturday.

6:30 p.m.

The Navy says the Japanese coast guard is leading the search for seven sailors missing after their U.S. destroyer collided with a container ship early Saturday.

The USS Fitzgerald was damaged both above and below the water line. A search of some parts of the ship will continue once they can be reached after the vessel is pier-side at Yokosuka Naval Base, its home port.

The ship was last seen near the pier, flanked by the two tugboats that helped it return from the site of the collision off the eastern coast of Japan.

5:30 p.m.

The USS Fitzgerald is approaching its home port at the Yokosuka Naval Base, south of Tokyo, after colliding before dawn Saturday with a container ship four times its size, leaving seven sailors missing.

The U.S. destroyer, flanked by two tug boats and other support vessels, was listing to its right as it slowly approached the port.

4:15 p.m.

Nippon Yusen K.K., the Japanese shipping company that operates the container ship that collided with a U.S. Navy destroyer, says its 20-member crew all safe.

The nighttime collision off Japan left seven U.S. Navy sailors from USS Fitzgerald missing. Three, including the captain, have been injured.

Nippon Yusen says in a statement it is collaborating with the ship owner and fully cooperating with the investigation by the coast guard. The 29,060-ton ship, four times the size of the destroyer, is Philippine-flagged and all the crew are Filipinos.

Japan's Kyodo News service says the Japanese coast guard is investigating the incident with the U.S. Navy and plans to question the crew members of the ACX Crystal.

The cause of the collision wasn't immediately clear.

2:30 p.m.

The U.S. Navy says flooding has been stabilized on the USS Fitzgerald and sailors from the USS Dewey have come aboard to assist after the destroyer was damaged in an overnight collision that left seven crew missing.

The Navy's 7th Fleet reported the developments in an update on the stricken ship that was nearing the port of Yokosuka in Japan. It was using its own limited propulsion after suffering significant damage on the right side below the water line and a U.S. defense official said there was flooding in three compartments.

It wasn't clear yet what caused the nighttime collision between the destroyer and a container ship four times its size. Three crew have been injured and airlifted to shore, including the captain, who was reported in stable condition.

The search for the seven sailors is continuing Saturday.

1:20 p.m.

An Alabama woman says her grandson contacted her from the USS Fitzgerald to say he's OK after a nighttime collision off Japan left seven crew members missing and three injured.

Rita Schrimsher of Athens, Alabama, tweeted: "Just heard the sweetest voice and saw a wonderful face. He's okay. Thank you all for the prayers."

She says she spoke on Facetime with her 23-year-old grandson Jackson Schrimsher. She says: "It could have been worse so we're grateful."

The search continues for the seven sailors missing. Japan's coast guard says they were thought to have been thrown into the sea or possibly trapped inside damaged sections of the destroyer.

10:30 a.m.

The U.S. Navy 7th Fleet says two crew members, including the captain, have been evacuated from a Navy destroyer that collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan. Seven sailors are missing.

The Navy said in a statement that Cmdr. Bryce Benson, the ship's commanding officer, was evacuated to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, home base of the 7th Fleet. It says he was in stable condition.

Details on the second injured person being evacuated were not immediately available.

Navy chief Adm. John Richardson says Navy, Japanese maritime defense vessels and the Japanese coast guard are working to stabilize the badly damaged ship.

This item clarifies that Richardson is the head of Navy.

8:45 a.m.

Relatives of crew members of a U.S. Navy ship that collided with a merchant ship off Japan are awaiting news of their loved ones.

Rita Schrimsher of Athens, Alabama, said "of course we're nervous and scared and just praying."

Her grandson Jackson Schrimsher is a 23-year-old sailor aboard the USS Fitzgerald. She said she last communicated with him via Facebook messenger on Wednesday.

Seven crew members are unaccounted for after the U.S. destroyer collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant ship early Saturday morning. At least one was injured.

8:30 a.m.

The U.S. Navy says the USS Fitzgerald suffered damage below the water line on its starboard side after it collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant ship.

It says the destroyer's propulsion is limited.

The Navy says the USS Dewey, medical assistance and two Navy tugs are being dispatched as quickly as possible. Naval aircraft are also being readied to help.

The Japan Coast Guard has confirmed that seven crew members are missing and one is injured. The injured sailor had a head injury, but the details of his or her condition were unknown.

8 a.m.

The Japan Coast Guard has confirmed that seven crew members of a U.S. Navy destroyer are missing after a collision with a Philippine-flagged merchant ship off the coast of Japan.

Japan Coast Guard official Takeshi Aikawa said the USS Fitzgerald reports that seven are unaccounted for and one is injured.

The injured sailor had a head injury, but details of his or her condition were unknown.

Footage from Japanese broadcaster NHK showed a person in a stretcher being lifted from the deck to a Japan Coast Guard helicopter.

Aikawa said the U.S. ship is partially flooded because of damage and not capable of moving by itself.

He added that so far no damage or injuries to the container ship or its crew members have been reported.

The coast guard dispatched five patrol ships and an aircraft carrying medics to the site for search and rescue operations.

7:45 a.m.

Japanese broadcaster NHK reports that one person is injured and seven others unaccounted on a U.S. Navy ship after it collided with a merchant vessel in waters off Japan.

NHK footage on Saturday morning showed a person in a stretcher being taken up to a helicopter from the deck of the USS Fitzgerald.

The Navy said that the USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant ship 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan. A U.S. defense official said there is flooding in three compartments of the Fitzgerald.

The U.S. 7th Fleet says on its Facebook page that it is working with the Japanese Coast Guard to conduct a medical evacuation for a sailor by helicopter, and that there are currently no reports of deaths.

7:15 a.m.

A U.S. Navy destroyer has collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, the U.S. military said, and there have been injuries.

The U.S. 7th Fleet said on its Facebook page that the collision was with Philippine-flagged merchant vessel ACX Crystal. It says the Japanese Coast Guard is on scene.

Live footage shot from a helicopter Saturday morning by Japanese broadcaster NHK showed heavy damage to the mid-right side of the Navy ship, which appeared to be stationary in the water. People were standing on various parts of the deck.

The Navy said that the USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant ship 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan. A U.S. defense official said there is flooding in three compartments of the Fitzgerald, and there were injuries.

7 a.m.

A U.S. Navy destroyer has collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, the U.S. military said, and there have been injuries.

In a brief written statement, the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii said the Navy has requested assistance from the Japanese Coast Guard.

Live footage shot from a helicopter Saturday morning by Japanese broadcaster NHK showed heavy damage to the mid-right side of the Navy ship, which appeared to be stationary in the water. People were standing on various parts of the deck.

The Navy said that the USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant ship 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan, a city south of Tokyo that is home to a U.S. Naval base. A U.S. defense official said there is flooding in three compartments of the Fitzgerald, and there were injuries.

The Pacific Fleet said the extent of injuries and damage to the Fitzgerald are "being determined," and the incident is under investigation.