The exact location of the crash between the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Truxtun and the Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Supply was not immediately clear.
The USNS Supply ship has been operating in the Caribbean, according to the Wall Street Journal, which is part of Southern Command’s area of responsibility. Southern Command is also responsible for parts of the South Atlantic and the South Pacific.
US President Donald Trump has ordered a military buildup in the Caribbean the last few months as part of the administration’s stated aim to target drug trafficking.
Two people died on Thursday after the US military struck an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, adding to a tally of least 38 lethal alleged drug boat strikes in the region since Trump has re-entered office.
The US has also used its military presence in the region to enforce sanctions against Venezuelan oil, after arresting the country’s president Nicolas Maduro in a middle-of-the-night raid in January.
