Fire on US warship off Okinawa burns for 12 hours

Fire on US warship off Okinawa burns for 12 hours

A fire broke out aboard a U.S. Navy warship off Okinawa and burned for more than 12 hours, injuring two sailors, the Navy's 7th Fleet in Japan said.

Details about the incident

The fire on the USS New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock ship with a crew of more than 360 sailors and the ability to transport 800 soldiers, began around 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday and was extinguished early Thursday morning, according to the statement. However, the Japanese Coast Guard, which helped fight the fire, said that extinguishing efforts were only completed shortly after 9 a.m. local time and an investigation is underway to determine whether the fire has been completely extinguished.

Injured people and support

Two sailors suffered minor injuries and were treated at onboard medical facilities, the Navy reported. At the time of the fire, the ship was docked off the White Beach Naval Base on the east coast of the Japanese island. This facility serves as a staging area for U.S. Marines and their equipment to deploy to amphibious ships such as the New Orleans, which is 208 meters long and weighs over 24,000 tons.

The crew of the New Orleans received assistance from the crews of the USS San Diego, which was also off White Beach, the Navy said. The Japanese Coast Guard, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and other U.S. naval units on Okinawa "provided critical support in the firefighting effort," the Navy statement said.

Cause of fire and future actions

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, as detailed in the 7th Fleet statement. Analyst Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, stressed that fires on warships that carry a lot of flammable materials are always a risk.

A Major US Navy ship fire occurred in recent years on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020 while it was being modernized in the port of San Diego to carry F-35 fighter jets. This fire burned for four days and resulted in the billion-dollar shipwreck being scrapped.

One Navy investigation revealed that the fire was due to a number of systematic deficiencies, including inadequate ship maintenance and a lack of training. After the fire, new inspection and training guidelines were put in place to prevent future fires.

Analysts noted that the loss of a ship like the Bonhomme Richard, even for several months, can impact the Navy's operational readiness for years. Schuster estimated that fire damage could put the New Orleans out of action for 60 to 120 days.

Conclusion

He emphasized that the New Orleans incident shows that the Navy must re-examine and improve its fire prevention and extinguishing procedures. “A fire of this extent was previously rare on U.S. naval warships,” Schuster concluded.

For further information and current reports, please refer to the articles by CNN journalist Junko Ogura.