U.S. Media: Fire on USS "Ford" Aircraft Carrier Extinguished After More Than 30 Hours, Over 600 Bunks Destroyed, Fire Originated from a Dryer in the Laundry Area

According to U.S. media reports on March 16, the U.S. Navy confirmed that a fire occurred in the main laundry room of the USS Ford on March 12, injuring two people. Subsequent reports indicate that the fire on the Ford took over 30 hours to extinguish, destroying more than 600 beds, with many sailors forced to sleep on the floor or reassign their beds.

According to Xinhua News Agency citing foreign media reports, the fire started in a dryer in the aircraft carrier’s main laundry area and spread rapidly. It took over 30 hours for personnel onboard to put it out. The fire did not damage the ship’s propulsion system, and the vessel remains fully operational. However, two people received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries caused by the fire, and dozens reported inhaling smoke from the blaze.

Earlier reports stated that on March 12, U.S. Central Command announced that a fire broke out in the main laundry room of the USS Ford.

The cause of the fire was unrelated to combat. The two sailors are currently receiving treatment and are not in danger. The ship’s propulsion system was not damaged, and the aircraft carrier operating in the Red Sea continues to function normally.

The U.S. Navy issued a statement on its official website denying recent reports of serious malfunctions in the USS Ford’s sanitation system. The statement said, “The systems on the Ford are operating normally and meet the expected standards for a Ford-class carrier, which can carry over 4,000 personnel. During this deployment, the vacuum sewage system has processed over 6 million flushes.”

However, Captain Scorossi of the USS Ford also admitted that there have been instances of “toilet clogs” onboard—though “engineering personnel responded quickly, and the impact was minimal.”

Previously, The Wall Street Journal cited a Navy official stating that the vacuum sewage system on the USS Ford frequently malfunctions, with about 90% of approximately 650 toilets damaged, requiring repairs nearly every day.

The USS Ford was contracted for construction in May 2004, launched on November 9, 2013, and was originally scheduled for completion in September 2015. However, due to budget overruns and the integration of many new technologies during testing and deployment, the construction process was delayed. It officially entered service with the U.S. Navy on July 22, 2017.

The USS Ford is the lead ship of the Ford-class aircraft carriers and the 11th nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the U.S. fleet. It is 337 meters long, three times the length of a standard football field. The ship carries 78 aircraft, including 40 fighters—equivalent to the air force of a small country. It is equipped with two advanced nuclear reactors that can operate for 20 years, producing three times the power of Nimitz-class carriers. Its advanced propulsion system improves the takeoff and landing capabilities of onboard aircraft, increasing sortie rates by 33%.

According to CCTV News, on the 15th, a spokesperson for Iran’s Hatham Anbia Central Command stated that the presence of the U.S. “Ford” aircraft carrier in the Red Sea is viewed as a threat to Iran. Therefore, the logistics and support center providing services to this carrier battle group in the Red Sea will be targeted by Iranian armed forces.

Iranian sources reported on the 13th that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy launched an attack on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has now lost its combat capability and has left the area to return to the United States.

Recently, there have been reports that the U.S. Navy’s Third Carrier Strike Group, led by the USS George H.W. Bush, is preparing to deploy “soon” to the Middle East. The specific timing and duration of the deployment have not been announced.

Source: Daily Economic News

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