Memorial held for second of two San Diego sailors killed in USS Fitzgerald collision

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — A memorial service was held Saturday for the second of two San Diego-area Navy sailors who died in last month’s collision between the destroyer USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine-flagged container ship near Japan.

The funeral for Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, a 23-year-old from Chula Vista, was held at 10 a.m. today at Corpus Christi Parish in Bonita.

Sibayan was born in Manila, Philippines and “had a passion for drawing and playing video games,” according to a digital obituary posted online in his memory.

“He had a zest for life that was noted by all who knew him. His kind and loving nature made him a favorite among family and friends alike.”

On Friday, an interment ceremony was held at the Miramar National Cemetery for Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, a 2010 Fallbrook High School graduate who lived in San Diego.

Born in a military hospital in Okinawa, he was described by his family as “an adventurous young man” who loved to travel, became fluent in Japanese, was a certified scuba diver and a black belt in karate.

Seven sailors, including Sibayan and Douglass, died in the June 17 collision. Most of them were asleep in their berths, which flooded after the bow of the ACX Crystal ripped open a ragged 12-foot by 17-foot hole in the starboard side of the Fitzgerald below the waterline.

An investigation into the cause of the collision is underway. The U.S. Naval Institute Press reported that the Fitzgerald will enter a drydock in Yokosuka later this month, where officials will determine whether the ship can be repaired there in Japan, or will have to return to the U.S.