US carrier Ford, deployed in war with Iran, to go to port temporarily after fire
Written by: Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) – The US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, assigned to operations against Iran, is expected to be temporarily withdrawn to the port after a fire broke out on the ship, US officials said on Tuesday, the 18th day of the war with Tehran.
The carrier, America’s newest and the world’s largest, is currently based in the Red Sea. The ship is expected to temporarily head to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, two officials said.
The warship was deployed for nine months, including taking part in operations against Venezuela in the Caribbean before arriving in the Middle East. The length of the deployment raised questions about the morale of the sailors on board and the warship’s readiness.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not say how long Ford 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 beds.
One soldier was flown from the ship due to injury, the official said.
The New York Times was the first to report the extent of damage to the warship. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After the fire first appeared, the US military announced that “there was no damage to the ship’s propulsion facility and the aircraft carrier was fully operational.”
The USA has attacked more than 7 thousand targets since February 28, when it started operations against Iran.
Ford, which has more than 5,000 sailors, has more than 75 military aircraft, including fighter jets such as F-18 Super Hornets. Ford has advanced radar that can help control air traffic and navigation.
Supporting ships such as the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser Normandy and the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers Thomas Hudner, Ramage, Carney and Roosevelt include surface-to-air, surface-to-surface and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Howard Goller)
