A US Navy destroyer has been crippled in the Persian Gulf after being struck by a missile fired from its own escort vessel, sources confirm. The catastrophic friendly fire incident occurred during a live-fire exercise near the Strait of Hormuz, leaving at least eight sailors injured and the warship listing heavily.
Audio recordings obtained by this newsroom capture the panicked distress call from the USS John S. McCain, a guided-missile destroyer. “Please send help. We have been hit. Multiple casualties. This is not a drill,” a crew member can be heard shouting over the radio. The missile, a Standard Missile-2 fired from the USS Decatur, locked onto the McCain’s radar signature during a simulated engagement with drone targets.
Internal Navy documents reveal that the exercise was meant to test the fleet’s ability to repel swarm attacks. But something went catastrophically wrong. A source with direct knowledge of the incident says that the McCain’s Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponder was malfunctioning, causing the Decatur’s fire control system to identify the destroyer as a hostile contact.
“This is a systemic failure,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “They’ve been cutting corners on maintenance for years. The IFF systems are ancient. And now sailors are paying the price.”
The missile struck the McCain’s starboard side, just aft of the bridge, tearing a gash in the hull and igniting a fire in the engineering section. Damage control teams worked for hours to stabilise the ship, which now lists at a dangerous angle. Eight sailors were airlifted to a military hospital in Bahrain, two with severe burns.
The Navy has officially confirmed the incident but provided few details. A spokesperson said the ship is “stable and returning to port under its own power” and that an investigation is underway. But sources say the crew is in shock, and morale has plummeted.
“This is the kind of thing that should never happen,” a retired Navy captain told us. “Friendly fire incidents are rare because of rigorous protocols. But when you squeeze budgets and ignore maintenance, you invite disaster. This is on the admirals who signed off on these exercises without ensuring basic safety checks.”
The Pentagon has convened a board of inquiry, but critics say it will be a whitewash. “They’ll blame a junior officer, issue a reprimand, and then quietly promote the people responsible,” our source said.
The USS McCain is one of the Navy’s most storied warships, named for the father and grandfather of Senator John McCain. It was involved in a collision with a merchant vessel in 2017 that killed ten sailors. Now, it has been shot by its own side.
“This is what happens when you treat your sailors like expendable assets,” the source said. “They don’t train properly. They don’t maintain equipment. And then they point fingers when things go wrong.”
