USS Benfold lost power in South China Sea, leaving crew of the US Navy warship without toilets, hot food and AC for 4 days

The USS Benfold, a US Navy guided-missile destroyer, spent four days without several essential services after an engineering failure involving its generators in the South China Sea. The incident left the nearly 10,000-ton warship without toilets, galley services, air conditioning and some potable water facilities, while also affecting its ability to maneuver independently, according to a report of CNN.

Cmdr. Matthew Comer, spokesperson for the US 7th Fleet told CNN that the power failure occurred on July 24 during routine operations and is being investigated by the US Navy. However, no crew members were injured in the incident.

The incident proved particularly difficult because the destroyer was operating in the South China Sea, where daytime temperatures were around 32°C to 37°C. With air conditioning unavailable, the crew had to work in difficult conditions while engineers focused on restoring the ship's power and navigation personnel dealt with the vessel's position and weather.


The Benfold was eventually taken under tow to Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs. The Navy said repairs were completed by August 8, after which the destroyer returned to duty.

Other US warships provided food and support

The destroyer was not left without assistance during the four-day outage. The guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls provided cooked meals to the Benfold, while other vessels from the Japan-based USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group also supported the crew.

Former US Navy captain Carl Schuster told CNN that the prolonged outage would have created different pressures for different members of the crew. Engineers would have been focused on restoring power, while navigation officers would have been concerned about the ship's position, drifting and incoming weather.

The Navy said the crew responded with "resilience, grit, professionalism, and unwavering steadiness" during the incident.

Second US Navy destroyer power failure this year

The Benfold incident comes after another Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS Higgins, experienced a power and propulsion failure in the Indo-Pacific in May.

The Higgins temporarily lost its ability to maneuver after what the Navy described as an electrical-system "engineering casualty." The incident lasted several hours and involved about 300 crew members.

Both the Benfold and Higgins belong to the Arleigh Burke class, which forms the backbone of the US Navy's surface fleet. More than 70 ships of the class are currently in service.

Incident comes amid wider US Navy operational pressure

The Benfold's breakdown comes as the US Navy faces heavy operational demands across multiple regions. US warships have been involved in extended deployments and operations, while the Navy is also maintaining a significant presence in the Indo-Pacific.

The USS George Washington is also expected to redeploy from the western Pacific to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln. Such a move could temporarily leave the western Pacific without a US aircraft carrier, raising questions about the US Navy's visible presence in a region where China has increased activity around disputed areas.

The Navy has not publicly disclosed the precise cause of the Benfold's generator failure. The investigation into the engineering casualty remains underway.