Early reports on the incident were conflicting.
Pace said at noon that the pollution matter has been cleared. The bulk of the oil has been picked up.
The identity of the missing employe [sic] was withheld, pending the outcome of the search.
An Ingalls spokesman said the ship in the launching pontoon, the DD963, was apparently not damaged in the incident.
A full assessment will be made when the ship is removed from the dock.
The spokesman said the incident occurred as the pontoon was being moved from the south shore of the West Bank shipyard to the middle of the channel for launching.
At 10:00 AM Chief Pace advised that the Coast Guard Captain of the Port of Mobile was on the scene with the team out of Mobile.
Pace said some 500 gallons of diesel fuel went into the river at the time of the accident and officials are working to get the fuel contained.
U.S. Coast Guard Machinist Technician first class Daniel Charlton was on the scene early today and gave the following account:
"We got a call at 6:30 AM that said the dry dock with the destroyer inside had a structural failure and there were people in the water.
"We dispatched all three of our boats to the area immediately. When we arrived on the scene most of the people in the water had been retrieved by an Ingalls [sic] boat.
"The dry dock had a vertical split about middle ways and the stern section was lying in the water.