Illustrative image. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Maxwell Orlosky)
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is leaving the Red Sea to undergo repairs in the U.S. A navy base on the Greek island of Crete after a fire last week required several hours of damage control efforts.
Ford will travel to Naval Support Activity Souda Bay for more than a week of pierside repairs, a senior U.S. official told USNI News on March 17.
The carrier and its strike group arrived in the Middle East last month as a part of the U.S. military buildup leading to the war on Iran. It was first deployed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, before moving into the Red Sea.
Aboard the Ford is the Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) with more than 75 warplanes, including F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets, and EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets, in addition to a number of E-2D Hawkeye tactical airborne early warning aircraft.
U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters earlier revealed that nearly 200 sailors were treated for smoke-related injuries when the fire broke out in the ship’s main laundry area on March 12. The fire took hours to bring under control and had an impact on roughly 100 sleeping berths.
One service member was flown off the ship with injuries, the official told the news agency. This was also confirmed by the official who spoke to USNI.
The New York Times reported two sailors received treatment for “non-life-threatening injuries”, citing the US military’s Central Command. After the fire, the US Navy had said that there was no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant and the aircraft carrier was fully operational.
Prior to the fire, the carrier, crewed by more than 4,500 sailors and staff, reportedly suffered significant problems with its toilet system, with American media describing clogged systems and long lines for restrooms on the ship.
The issue is not new, however. A 2020 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office said the ship’s toilet system was subject to “unexpected and frequent clogging” and requires acid flushes on a regular basis to clear it, at a cost of $400,000 each time.
The U.S. Navy acknowledged the reports of toilet problems in a statement last month, but cited ship leadership as saying that “clog incidents are addressed promptly by trained damage control and engineering personnel, with minimal downtime”.
The carrier has been already at sea for well over nine months. The length of the deployment has raised questions about morale of the sailors on board and their readiness.
Senator Mark Warner, the vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on March 17 sharply criticised the extended deployment of the ship.
“The Ford and its crew have been pushed to the brink after nearly a year at sea, and they have been paying the price for President Donald Trump’s reckless military decisions,” he said in a statement.
The latest fire has reportedly triggered a formal investigation into possible sabotage. Information cited by The International Business Times suggests officials are examining whether crew actions — intentional or negligent — played a role in the incident.
The withdrawal of the Ford will leave a significant gap in U.S. forces in the region, especially in the Red Sea in the face of the Iran-aligned Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen.
It is very likely that the carrier was sent to the Red Sea to keep the Houthis at bay, and while the group has not yet joined the war alongside the Islamic Republic yet, this could happen at any moment.
With no carrier nearby — aside from the USS Abraham Lincoln currently launching strikes against Iran from the Arabian Sea —, the U.S. ability to respond to any attacks from Yemen will be extremely limited.
Iran has been so far very successful in controlling the Strait of Hormuz, and with Ford out of the picture for the time being, the Houthis could easily close Bab al-Mandab Strait, further scribbling the shipping sector in the region and rising energy prices around the globe.
Since the start of the American-Israeli war on Iran, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi has repeatedly emphasized the group is ready to intervene, claiming their “hands are on the trigger.”
The group is likely coordinating closely with the Islamic Republic, and may be waiting for any further expansion of the war — like Gulf countries joining the U.S. and Israel — to strike.
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that must of been a krazy fire 🔥 that required several hours of damage control efforts. 😂
the ford had a “fire” in the “laundry system” that took – 30 days – to bring under control. if you believe that one, i’ve got a bridge to sell you. meanwhile both the ford and the lincoln have had major toilet problems. it’s obvious that an elite highly trained irgc toilet squad has infiltrated both ships to wreak havoc on their poop decks. this is becoming an increasingly dirty war. a general issue of super absorbent diapers may be in the offing.
“super absorbent diapers may be in the offing.”
if they pay in shekels we are here.