US Navy Destroyer Disabled for Four Days in Pacific After Generator Failure

A U.S. Navy destroyer carrying about 300 sailors was left without power for four days in the Pacific Ocean last month after a major engineering failure, the Navy confirmed.

The USS Benfold experienced a generator casualty on July 24, according to Navy spokesman Cmdr. Matthew Comer. The loss of electricity knocked out critical systems, leaving the crew without drinking water, hot meals, functioning toilets, or air conditioning for the duration of the outage.

Comer said there were no injuries and praised the crew's professionalism under duress. The destroyer received assistance from the George Washington carrier strike group, with the cruiser USS Robert Smalls delivering meals to the stricken ship.

The Benfold was eventually towed to Subic Bay in the Philippines, arriving on July 28. Crew members were housed and fed ashore while repairs were made. The ship departed on Aug. 8 with all engineering, combat, and crew support systems back to normal, the Navy said.

The incident came to light just as the Pentagon faces scrutiny over living conditions on naval vessels, particularly the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for a record 250 consecutive days and has reported shortages of food and hygiene items, as well as crew mental health concerns.

Meanwhile, ships from the George Washington strike group, including the carrier USS George Washington, have been spotted heading toward the Middle East, where it is expected to relieve the Lincoln. That shift could leave the Pacific without a U.S. carrier presence for an unspecified period, as the Trump administration views China as a power to deter rather than a primary adversary.