The U.S. Navy's top admiral ordered the entire fleet Monday to take an "operational pause" for a day or two after the Navy destroyer John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker east of Singapore.

Adm. John Richardson gave the order as a search continued for 10 crewmen assigned to the destroyer who are still missing after the collision in the Strait of Malacca early Monday local time.

(Supplied image)

"This is the second collision in three months and the last in a series of incidents in the Pacific theater," Richardson said in a videotaped statement. "This trend demands more forceful action."

The collision caused significant damage to the hull of the destroyer, resulting in flooding to nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms, the Navy said in a statement earlier.

But the crew managed to halt further flooding and the ship was able to sail under its own power to Singapore's Changi Naval Base, arriving there in the afternoon, it said.

The John S. McCain was traveling to Singapore for a routine port visit when it collided with the Alnic MC, a Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker, in waters east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca.

The destroyer is named after the father and grandfather of veteran politician Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, both of whom were both highly decorated naval officers.

Earlier this month, it took part a "freedom of navigation operation" in the South China Sea, the third of its kind this year. It sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, which was occupied by China in 1995 amid protests from the Philippines and has since been transformed into a Chinese military outpost.