A fire aboard the American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), which is on a mission in the Middle East, lasted more than 30 hours.
The New York Times reported on this, citing US officials and sailors on the ship.
According to officials, the fire started in a ventilation duct of a dryer in the laundry room and spread rapidly.
Following the incident, US CENTCOM reported that two sailors received medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Meanwhile, according to sailors who spoke anonymously with journalists, dozens of crew members suffered from smoke inhalation.
The fire broke out last Thursday in the ship’s main laundry room. The publication notes that as a result, more than 600 sailors lost their beds and have been sleeping on the floors and tables ever since.
The US Navy has not commented on the matter. Central Command merely noted that the fire did not damage the ship’s propulsion system, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is currently entering its 10th month at sea. The ship arrived in the Middle East from the Caribbean to participate in the US-Israeli military operation Epic Fury against Iran, which has been ongoing for three weeks.
The aircraft carrier’s crew members have been informed that their deployment at sea will likely be extended until May.
This would mean that by that time, the sailors will have been on continuous duty aboard the ship for a year—twice as long as usual.
Not just a fire
In late February, it was reported that the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford had encountered serious malfunctions in its plumbing system.
According to military officials, the vacuum system, borrowed from civilian shipbuilding, cannot withstand the load.
