Two U.S. Navy ships collided Wednesday in the Caribbean Sea during a supply transfer exercise, leaving two personnel with minor injuries, according to U.S. Southern Command.
Col. Emmanuel Ortiz said in a statement that the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG-103) and the Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE-6) collided during a replenishment-at-sea operation. Both ships remained seaworthy, and the injured personnel are stable. The Navy is investigating the incident.
A U.S. official noted that the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg was positioned on the opposite side of the USNS Supply at the time of the collision. The USNS Supply was in between the Gettysburg and the Truxtun when the accident occurred.
Replenishments-at-sea, which deliver essential supplies and equipment, are complex operations that require two ships to sail side by side for hours and sometimes take days to prepare.
The Truxtun recently joined the Navy’s Fourth Fleet, which includes about a dozen ships near South America, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, as part of a Pentagon effort to counter narcotics trafficking. Since August, the Navy has conducted operations against suspected drug vessels and implemented partial restrictions on sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.
This is the first reported mishap involving U.S. Navy ships in the Caribbean this year, though the Navy experienced several accidents in the Middle East during the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group deployment from September 2024 to May 2025. Incidents included a friendly fire event involving F-18 jets, a collision with a merchant vessel, and the loss of two F-18s.
The two injured sailors were not transported for medical treatment. Navy officials say both ships continue to operate safely as the investigation proceeds
