Japanese Destroyer Collision Caused by Negligence

On February 19 at 4:07 A.M. the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force destroyer, Atago, collided with a small fishing vessel, the Seitoku Maru, in the pacific just off of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The 7,700-ton destroyer apparently struck the smaller vassal's wheel house broadside slicing the ship in half instantly.

According to the MSDF the Atego alerted the Japanese coast guard about 17 minutes after the collision, the JCG responded with 5 patrol boats, 3 aircraft, and a 4 member diving team who searched the wreckage of the Seitoku Maru for survivors with no results. The father and son crew, Tetsuhiro, 23 and Haruo Kichisei, 58, have not yet been recovered.

The JCG immediately launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. They acquired a warrant to search the Atago as soon as it arrived at Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. The warrant was obtained on the basis that the JCG believed that the Atago's crew endangered maritime traffic through negligence. They were looking far any clues related directly to the accident and examined the surface radar system and determined that it was functioning properly. The JCG also questioned the crew of the Atago about events leading up to the collision while divers examined the hull of the ship for any additional clues.