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Texas Sailor Among Those Dead in USS Fitgerald Incident

A South Texas sailor was among those killed when a civilian container ship collided with a U.S. Navy destroyer off the coast of Japan Saturday.  

Twenty-six-year-old Gunner’s Mate Second Class Noe Hernandez, a native of Weslaco, near Brownsville, was found dead along with several of his shipmates in flooded berthing compartments on board the USS Fitzgerald.

A cousin of Hernandez’s told Texas State News that that the death is "like a kick to the chest."

Most of the ship’s crew were asleep during the late-night collision.

Scott Morgan has been an award-winning journalist since 2001. His work has appeared in several newspapers and magazines as well as online. He has also been an editor, freelancer, speaker, writing teacher, author, and podcaster.