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Missouri sailor is among nine presumed dead after Navy ship’s collision near Singapore

By Max Londberg

jlondberg@kcstar.com

August 24, 2017 12:45 PM

10 missing after USS John S. McCain collides with oil tanker

The USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer is docked at Singapore's naval base on Monday with "significant damage" to its hull after a collision with an oil tanker. Warships from four nations are searching for 10 missing American sailors.This
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The USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer is docked at Singapore's naval base on Monday with "significant damage" to its hull after a collision with an oil tanker. Warships from four nations are searching for 10 missing American sailors.This
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One of nine U.S. Navy sailors still missing is a Missouri man from Amazonia, a small town north of St. Joseph.

Charles Nathan Findley was among the names released Thursday by the Navy. Originally, 10 sailors were reported missing after the USS John S. McCain, a destroyer vessel, was involved in a collision Monday with a Liberian merchant vessel east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

In a release updated Thursday morning, the Navy announced it was suspending its search after “more than 80 hours of multinational search efforts.” The search scoured a 2,100-square-mile area and involved U.S., Singaporean, Malaysian, Indonesian and Australian military and maritime crews.

Divers found the remains of one of the missing sailors, Kenneth Aaron Smith of New Jersey.

The Navy said it would continue search and recovery efforts inside the flooded compartments of the vessel.

Surviving U.S. Navy sailors recognized the dead and missing after a collision east of Singapore. One of the missing is a Missourian. The sailors chanted "Big Bad John," the vessel's nickname, and video was posted to Facebook with the text: "Fortun

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Findley served as an electronics technician first class in the Navy.

His sister, Toni Greim, expressed frustration with the information released by the Navy in a Wednesday interview with Fox4.

“They’re not communicating with us at all,” Greim said. “I want to know where my brother is. I want to know what’s taking so long.”

The Washington Post reported the Navy is turning its search into a recovery endeavor, an acknowledgment that the missing sailors are presumed dead. Following the collision — the fourth naval accident this year, two of them deadly — Joseph Aucoin was relieved from his duties. Aucoin was the vice admiral of the 7th Fleet in Japan. The fleet includes the USS John S. McCain.

Findley’s sister is resigned to believe the worst outcome in the fate of her brother.

“I probably have lost my brother,” Greim told Fox4.

In his free time, Findley enjoyed rebuilding cars, Japanese culture and life overseas, Greim said.

He attended Park Hill South High School for a period during his freshman year and Park Hill High for a period as a junior, district spokeswoman Nicole Kirby confirmed.

Findley was a father, leaving behind an 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son.

Max Londberg: 816-234-4378, @MaxLondberg

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