On the road again, deep in the heart of Virginia. Raining like all get out this evening. Accordingly, abandoned plans for a night out.
For the second time in two years a Japanese destroyer has proved the old axiom : Nothing can wreck your day like a collision at sea.
A Japanese navy destroyer and a South Korean container ship collided Tuesday off southern Japan, sparking fires on both ships and injuring three crew members, officials said. The ships collided under a bridge linking the Japanese main islands of Kyushu and Honshu in the narrow Kanmon Strait, Japan Coast Guard spokesman Seishi Izumi said. One crew member on the destroyer JS Kurama was slightly injured with scratches and bruises while two others were suffering from smoke inhalation, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing policy. None of the South Korean ship's 16 crew members ? 12 from South Korea and four from Myanmar ? was injured, Izumi said. The fire on the 7,400-ton container ship Carina Star was extinguished shortly after the collision. The blaze on the destroyer was mostly under control late Tuesday but its temperature was still extremely high, the defense official said. Officials are investigating the case as possible professional negligence and have begun questioning crew members on both ships, Izumi said. The defense official said the Japanese ship's bow was badly burned and mangled, but the vessel was still capable of traveling on its own. The container ship's hull was grazed near its bow.
NHK news coverage:
Looks like a heck of a fire got started. In 2008 the Japanese Aegis destroyer Atago T-boned a Japanese fishing boat. Now this happens. The fingerpointing with Korea ought to be interesting to watch.