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Fire Breaks Out Aboard USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier in the Red Sea

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The non-combat-related blaze started in the carrier’s main laundry spaces and was quickly contained, and the ship remains fully operational while supporting Operation Epic Fury.

A fire broke out aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford while the ship was operating in the Red Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury. While the root cause of the incident has not been disclosed, it is not related to the sustained air campaign the U.S. flattop is currently supporting.

Here’s the official statement from the U.S. 5th Fleet:

On March 12, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) experienced a fire that originated in the ship’s main laundry spaces. The cause of the fire was not combat-related and is contained.

There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational.

Two Sailors are currently receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition. Additional information will be provided when available.

The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Red Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury.

Aircraft carriers are among the most dangerous places on earth. They combine several high risk elements, including jet fuel, large quantities of bombs and missiles (especially when involved in combat operations), thousands of crew members and, above all, a flight deck with tens of aircraft launching or recovering. For this reason, similar incidents occur every now and then. 

For instance, in May 2008, fire erupted aboard USS George Washington en route from Chile to San Diego. It took 12 hours to the sailors to extinguish the flames that damaged electrical cabling and components running through 80 of the 3,800 compartments across several decks of the carrier, injuring 37 sailors.

More serious incidents occurred in the 1960s. In 1967, fire aboard USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin and the 1969 blaze on USS Enterprise near Hawaii, both triggered by accidental rocket detonations on the flight deck, resulted in heavy casualties and significant damage.

For what concerns USS Ford, the U.S. Navy’s newest carrier, the incident occurred as the carrier’s deployment has been repeatedly extended and redirected to the Red Sea to support the U.S. builds up forces in the Middle East and the subsequent air war on Iran.

As reported by the WSJ recently, the extended deployment has had a significant impact on the morale of the sailors aboard the ship: some service members interviewed said they missed milestones such as funerals or long periods with young children, and a few are even considering leaving the Navy after the deployment ends.

As if prolonged separation from their dearest ones was not enough, morale has also been affected by persistent technical problems including the recurring failures in the ship’s vacuum-based sewage system, which has caused frequent toilet outages across sections of the ship. According to the WSJ, maintenance teams have reportedly dealt with hundreds of repair calls in a short time, sometimes requiring long working hours to track down leaks and clogs.

 

The Ford CSG currently hosts Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8), comprising F/A-18E Super Hornets of Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 31, 37, and 87, F/A-18F Super Hornets of VFA-213, EA-18G Growlers of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142, E-2D Hawkeyes of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 124, C-2A Greyhounds from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40, and MH-60S and MH-60R Seahawks of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70 respectively.


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