USS JOHN MCCAIN: REMAINS OF MISSING SAILORS FOUND INSIDE NAVY DESTROYER AFTER COLLISION

American Navy divers have found human remains of some sailors inside the USS John McCain, a day after the warship's collision with an oil tanker in South-East Asian waters left 10 missing.

Key points:

•Human remains found in "sealed compartments" on damaged ship

•Another body found by Malaysian officials yet to be identified

•US Navy to review operations of fleet worldwide

The impact tore a gaping hole in the warship's left rear hull, flooding compartments including a crew sleeping area.

"The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today," US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Scott Swift said at Singapore's Changi Naval Base, where the damaged vessel is docked.

He said it was "premature to say how many and what the status of recovery of those bodies is".

Admiral Swift said Malaysian officials had also found one body, but it would have to be identified to "determine whether it's one of the missing sailors or not".

The USS John McCain and oil tanker Alnic MC collided about 8.3 kilometres from Malaysia's coast, at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the busy Singapore Strait.

Five US sailors were also injured in the collision.

"We will continue the search and rescue operations until the probability of discovering sailors is exhausted," Admiral Swift said.

The deployment of divers to search inside the warship was a blow to families still hoping for a miracle.

Megan Partlow of Ohio, who said her fiance was on board the McCain, said they last communicated on Sunday and she was losing hope of seeing him again.

"My last text to him was 'be safe', which is the same way we end every conversation. I'm just ready for answers," she said.

The identities of the missing have not been disclosed but Ms Partlow said her fiance's parents were in touch with the Navy's family assistance centre.

Investigation into collisions 'to look for common cause'

It was the second major collision in two months involving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet, and the Navy has ordered a broad investigation into its performance and readiness.

Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

There were also two lesser-known incidents in the first half of the year.

In January, the USS Antietam guided missile cruiser ran aground near Yokosuka base, the home port of the 7th Fleet.

And in May, another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain from the Navy's 3rd Fleet, had a minor collision with a South Korean fishing boat.

"While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation," Admiral Swift said.

He said the Navy would conduct an investigation "to find out if there is a common cause … and if so, how do we solve that."

Earlier, US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said there were no indications so far the collision was intentional or the result of cyber intrusion or sabotage.

"But review will consider all possibilities," he said on Twitter.

Who's at fault when ships collide?

A collision between US Navy warship USS John McCain and oil tanker Alnic MC, that left 10 sailors missing, begs the question: whose job is it to stop ships crashing into each other?

Admiral Richardson said he was asking his fleet commanders worldwide for a one-to-two-day, staggered operational pause to discuss action to ensure safe and effective operations.

The Singapore Government said no crew were injured on the oil tanker, which sustained damage to a compartment at the front of the ship, about seven metres above its waterline.

The ship had a partial load of fuel oil, but no apparent spill, according to the tanker's Greek owner Stealth Maritime Corp SA.

Several safety violations were recorded for the oil tanker at its last port inspection in July — one fire safety deficiency and two safety-of-navigation problems.

The official database for ports in Asia does not go into details and the problems apparently were not serious enough for the tanker to be detained.