Illinois Sailor Missing From USS John McCain

DECATUR, IL — A man from Illinois is among the 10 sailors who were missing after the destroyer U.S.S. John McCain collided with a merchant vessel near Singapore. The Illinois sailor was identified as Interior Communications Electrician Third Class Petty Officer Logan Palmer, 23, of Decatur. Palmer's family issued a statement asking for privacy as the Navy continues to investigate the incident, saying, "As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family."

The bodies of some of the sailors were found in sealed compartments inside the USS John McCain, the Navy said. The Navy identified one sailor who was killed as Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, from New Jersey.

Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts have been suspended, and the admiral in charge of the United States Navy's 7th Fleet has been relieved of his command. The decision to remove Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin was made by Adm. Scott Swift due to "a loss of confidence" in Aucoin's "ability to command," the Navy said in a statement.

Scott also said the Malaysian Navy, which has been assisting in the search efforts, appears to have recovered additional remains."They are working to identify those remains," Scott said, but did not elaborate on how many sailors had been located.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of those sailors and the families of our sailors who were injured," said Swift.

The U.S.S. John McCain collided with a 30,000-ton, 600-foot-long ship carrying oil and other cargo. In addition to the missing soldiers, four sailors were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and a fifth was treated on board.

The crash led Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson to order a pause in operations for the Navy's nearly 300 ships. It was the second crash involving a Navy destroyer in the Pacific theater in as many months and the fourth notable incident since February.

In June, another Naval Guided Missile Destroyer — the U.S.S. Fitzgerald — was involved in a collision with a container ship off the coast of Japan. Seven sailors died in that incident, the greatest loss of life suffered by the Navy since the bombing of the Cole 17 years ago.

Navy Orders 'Operational Pause' After 4 Incidents In The Pacific

Palmer enlisted in the Navy in April 2016. His brother said he always dreamed of serving his country and initially hoped to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, according to the Herald-Review. After an eye injury, he opted for the Navy and found a newfound love of sailing and seeing the world, his brother said.

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U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Fulton/U.S. Navy via Getty Images

Colin Miner (Patch Staff) contributed to this article