WASHINGTON: Two crew on the USS Gerald R. Ford — the world’s largest aircraft carrier currently deployed for the war against Iran — were injured Thursday in a laundry room fire, the US Navy said.
“Two sailors are currently receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition,” a statement from US Naval Forces Central Command said.
The Navy said the fire, originating “in the ship’s main laundry,” was “not combat-related and is contained.”
The Navy said the Ford is now in the Red Sea as part of Operation Epic Fury — the name given to the massive US bombing assault on Iran launched by President Donald Trump on February 28. “There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational,” the statement said.
The laundry episode was not the first mishap reported from the nuclear-powered giant, which was ordered to the Middle East right after a months-long mission in the Caribbean that culminated with the January operation by US forces to seize Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro. The Ford’s toilets have been plagued with malfunctions and clogging as a result of misuse by sailors, according to US media reports.
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