Bodies found in search for sailors

Coast guard claims collision with US warship could be case of negligence

YOKOSUKA, Japan - The search for seven United States Navy sailors missing after their destroyer collided with a container ship off Japan was called off on Sunday after several bodies were found in the ship's flooded compartments, including sleeping quarters.

Vice-Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the 7th Fleet, described the damage and flooding as extensive, including a big puncture under the waterline. The crew had to fight to keep the USS Fitzgerald afloat, he said, and the ship's captain is lucky to have survived.