Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford battled a fire for more than 30 hours last week as the vessel continues an arduous 10-month deployment through President Trump’s military operations.
The blaze, which reportedly began in a dryer vent within the ship’s main laundry facilities last Thursday, displaced more than 600 crew members who have since been forced to sleep on floors and tables, reports New York Times.
US Central Command confirmed that two sailors received treatment for “non-life-threatening injuries,” though individuals on board reported that dozens of service members suffered from smoke inhalation.
Additionally, many sailors have been unable to wash their clothes since the fire occurred. While the fire caused no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant and the carrier remains “fully operational,” the Navy has not yet responded to requests for further comment.
The USS Gerald R Ford is currently entering its 10th month at sea, far exceeding the standard six-month deployment.
Under orders from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the ship was diverted from the Mediterranean on 24 October to the Caribbean to support a pressure campaign against Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. From there, it rushed to the Middle East for the US-Israeli war against Iran, which is now in its third week.If the carrier remains at sea until mid-April, it will break the post-Vietnam War record of 294 days set by the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2020.
Crew members have been informed that their deployment could be extended into May, potentially resulting in a full year at sea. Rear Adm. John F Kirby (retd), a former Pentagon press secretary, warned that such extended missions take a toll, stating, “You can’t run a ship that long and that hard and expect her and her crew to perform at peak capacity”.
The fire is the latest in a series of maintenance failures for the Navy’s newest carrier, which has also faced persistent plumbing issues with its 650 toilets. A significant maintenance and refitting period scheduled for earlier this year at the Newport News Naval Shipyard in Virginia has been postponed. Military officials indicated that the USS George H W Bush is currently preparing to deploy to the Middle East to relieve the Ford.
