Shipyard workers remove the guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell's anchor while the ship sat in drydock at Yokosuka Naval Base, according to a photo posted Dec. 13, 2011, on ship's Facebook site. A Japanese shipyard worker died Jan. 9, 2012, as a result of an accident involving an anchor at the McCampbell's drydock. It remained unclear exactly how the death occurred.

Courtesy of the U.S. Navy

This report was updated Jan. 9, 2012, at 7:03 a.m. EST

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan -- A Japanese shipyard worker died Monday afternoon at Yokosuka Naval Base following an accident involving an anchor, U.S. Navy officials said.

The contracted worker was pronounced dead at about 3 p.m. on Monday, said Cmdr. K.C. Marshall, spokesman for Commander Naval Forces Japan.

The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was working in Drydock No. 5 on an overhaul of the destroyer USS McCampbell when the accident occurred, Marshall said.

Further details regarding the accident were unavailable as of 8 p.m. on Monday.

“Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family and friends of the contractor who lost his life,” Commander Naval Forces Japan stated in a news release Monday night.

U.S. Navy and Japanese authorities are investigating the accident, Navy officials said.

USS McCampbell, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, moved into the drydock for its overhaul on Nov. 9, according to the ship’s official Facebook page.

The ship had its anchor removed on Dec. 13, according to photos posted on the same official Facebook page.

On Monday, the ship appeared largely disassembled in drydock, with segments of its gunmetal gray plating either covered or stripped. The destroyer was commissioned in 2002, according to the Navy’s official website.

In March, USS McCampbell was among the first ships to assist with relief efforts following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in eastern Japan.

slavine@pstripes.osd.mil

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