The Arleigh Burke–class destroyer USS Benfold lost electrical power on July 24, 2026, after a generator failure, leaving about 300 sailors without regular meals, air conditioning and working toilets for several days. No injuries were reported; other ships in the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group assisted and Benfold was towed to Subic Bay on July 28, with repairs completed by Aug. 7. The ship later made port at Yokosuka, Japan, but did not appear to rejoin the carrier group bound for the Middle East. The episode comes amid broader media scrutiny of shipboard conditions and debate over costly proposed design changes to new vessels.
USS Benfold Left Days Without Power, Food, AC or Working Toilets After Generator Failure, Navy Says
Borg Wong/AP Photo, file
The Arleigh Burke–class destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) lost onboard electrical power on July 24, 2026, after a generator malfunction while operating in the Indo‑Pacific, the Navy said. The outage left roughly 300 sailors without regular meals, functioning toilets or air conditioning for several days, though there were no reported injuries.
A Navy spokesperson, Matthew Comer, told USNI News the casualty occurred during routine operations. "On July 24, 2026, while conducting routine operations in the Indo‑Pacific, Arleigh Burke‑class guided‑missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) reported an engineering casualty involving its generators, causing a loss of power," Comer said. He praised the crew for demonstrating "resilience, grit, professionalism and unwavering steadiness in their response."
Other ships in the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group rendered assistance while Benfold experienced the outage. The destroyer was taken under tow to Subic Bay in the Philippines on July 28, and repairs were completed by August 7, according to the Navy. By the following week the ship was in Yokosuka, Japan, but it did not appear to rejoin the carrier group, which was transiting toward the Middle East to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln.
This incident arrives amid heightened media scrutiny of shipboard living conditions after reporting about the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where families of more than 5,000 deployed sailors and Marines expressed concerns after the ship exceeded roughly 260 days at sea during the conflict involving Iran. Some accounts included claims of sailors reportedly going overboard; defense and administration officials have disputed aspects of that coverage. Pete Hegseth, a senior administration official, said conditions on Lincoln were "completely misrepresented," while President Donald Trump described the carrier's deployment as "not nearly long enough."
Context: Media attention on shipboard problems has coincided with reports that the White House is pushing for design changes to vessels still under construction — modifications that analysts say could add billions to shipbuilding costs.
The Navy emphasized there were no injuries and commended the Benfold's crew for their response. Naval investigators are expected to review the engineering casualty to determine the cause and recommend steps to prevent similar failures.
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