The USS Lake Champlain, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser currently deployed with the Pentagon's Carl Vinson Strike Group, was struck amidships on the port side by the 502 Namyang, a 70-foot-long South Korean fishing vessel, during what has been described as "routine operations," according to the US Navy.
"No one was injured when the fishing vessel collided with Lake Champlain's port side, amidship," said a US Navy release, cited by Stripes.com.
"Both ships were able to navigate under their own power," the statement added.
Including the guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy, the USS Lake Champlain is part of the escort of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier patrolling waters off the Korean Peninsula in response to increased tensions in the region, due partly to continued ballistic missile testing by Pyongyang.
According to Yonhap, the collision occurred in waters south of Ulleung Island, some 80 miles off the eastern coast of South Korea.
The US Navy asserted that it was, along with the South Korean coast guard, investigating the incident and assembling a damage assessment.
