A malfunctioning missile exploded during an exercise in the Atlantic Ocean last week, damaging a guided-missile destroyer, a Navy statement said.
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A missile exploded as it was being fired from the destroyer The Sullivans in a Saturday exercise, damaging the the side of the ship but not injuring any crew members, according to Naval Sea Systems Command.
Photos from the incident show a fire on part of the destroyer.
USS The Sullivans, of course, is named for the five Sullivan brothers who all died while serving together on the USS Juneau in WWII, resulting in more stringent rules against siblings serving together.
There were no reported injuries and though the ship suffered a small fire on its port side “from missile debris” the destroyer was able to return to Naval Station Norfolk, Va. unassisted, NAVSEA said.
USNI News reports the USS Carney was performing the missile exercise along with The Sullivans, but that it was not damaged by the explosion.
According to Johnson, the malfunctioning missile was a Standard Missile-2 (SM-2), which is primarily used to counter traditional air threats, like fighter jets.
Johnson said it’s too early to determine whether the explosion will affect the ship’s schedule.
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Naval Sea Systems Command’s program executive office Integrated Warfare Systems is now investigating the cause of the malfunctioning missile. The ship returned to Naval Station Norfolk for assessment.
