New Delhi, Mar 13: A minor fire in the laundry area of the US Navy’s largest and newest aircraft carrier has injured two sailors, highlighting the operational strain on American naval forces deployed in West Asia or the Middle East as the war centred on Iran intensifies. The incident occurred aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford while the vessel was operating in the Red Sea. The blaze broke out in the main laundry compartment used by the ship’s crew, leaving two sailors with non-life-threatening injuries.
Naval officials said the fire was quickly contained and was not related to combat operations.
Despite the incident, the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered carrier remains fully operational and continues to support US military missions in the region. The injured sailors were reported to be in stable condition and receiving treatment onboard. The carrier, which carries a crew of about 4,500 sailors and aviators, represents the centrepiece of the US Navy’s latest generation of aircraft carriers. Its deployment has already taken the ship across multiple theatres, from its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, then to the Caribbean before returning toward the Middle East as the conflict escalated.
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