Fire damage, clogged toilets, and sinking morale: USS Gerald R Ford to set sails for repairs in Crete | US military
The fire on the USS Gerald R Ford that injured sailors and destroyed 100 beds is the latest setback to plague the world’s largest aircraft carrier in its marathon deployment, which some argue has damaged crew morale.
The ship, which has been at sea for almost nine months and is currently serving in the Red Sea in support of the war against Iran, will reportedly head to Crete for repairs.
The length of the deployment raised questions about the morale of the sailors on board and the warship’s readiness.
Officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity did not say how long the $13 billion ship was expected to stay in Crete.
About 200 sailors were treated for smoke-related injuries after a fire broke out in the ship’s main laundry, one of the officials said. The fire took hours to bring under control and affected approximately 100 bunk beds.
One soldier flew off the ship injured, the official said. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. New York Times reported Citing the US army’s Central Command, it was stated that the two sailors were treated for “non-life-threatening injuries”. After the fire first broke out, the US military announced that there was no damage to the ship’s propulsion unit and that the aircraft carrier was fully operational.
The carrier, whose crew consisted of more than 4,000 sailors, reportedly experienced significant problems with its toilet system while at sea, with US media reporting that the systems were clogged and long queues formed for the toilets on the ship.
The problem is not new; A 2020 report from the US Government Accountability Office said the ship’s toilet system suffered “unexpected and frequent blockages” and required regular acid flushing to clear it, at a cost of US$400,000 each time.
The Navy acknowledged reports of toilet problems in a statement last month, but noted that ship management said “clogging incidents are handled promptly by trained damage control and engineering personnel with minimal downtime.”
Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sharply criticized the extension of the ship’s deployment on Tuesday.
“After nearly a year at sea, Ford and its crew have been pushed to the brink and are paying the price for President Donald Trump’s reckless military decisions,” he said in a statement.
The Navy told the Guardian last month that its “operations in dynamic environments require tremendous dedication” from all sailors who “consistently demonstrate their devotion to duty”. He added that maintenance demands on the ship “reduced as the deployment progressed.”
Ford’s withdrawal will leave a significant gap in US forces in the region, where the dozens of warplanes it carries take part in attacks against Iran.
However, the New York Times, which first reported the extent of the damage caused by the fire, quoted a military official as saying that Ford would probably be assigned to another carrier (USS George HW Bush) that was preparing to deploy to the Middle East.
The USA has hit more than 7 thousand targets since February 28, when it started operations against Iran.
Ford carries more than 75 military aircraft, including F-18 Super Hornets, and uses an advanced radar system to control air traffic and navigation.
Before being deployed to the Middle East, the carrier took part in U.S. operations in the Caribbean, where U.S. forces launched attacks on alleged drug-smuggling boats, intercepted sanctioned tankers, and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
With Agence France-Presse and Reuters
