(Bloomberg) — The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is leaving its fight with Iran and heading back to port, a U.S. official familiar with the matter said, after a fire broke out in its laundry room and left at least two sailors with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Ford will travel from its current location in the Red Sea to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, according to the official, who asked not to be identified discussing the moves, which are not public. The ship stopped in Souda Bay at the end of February en route to the Red Sea.
A US Navy spokesman declined to comment on the status of the carrier or whether the guided-missile destroyers accompanying the Ford would remain in the region. A defense official, who also did not want to be identified, said the Ford aircraft carrier strike group would continue to operate in the Red Sea.
The U.S. military declined to provide details about the fire that broke out aboard the Ford, a 100,000-ton nuclear-powered ship carrying more than 4,000 people. The New York Times reported that it took sailors more than 30 hours to extinguish the fire and more than 600 crew members lost their berths.
Ford was operating in support of US operations against Venezuela when President Donald Trump ordered it to the Middle East ahead of the Iran campaign. Its deployment has been extended since it left the US in June last year, meaning it has been at sea well beyond the usual six-month tour.
Ford is the most expensive US warship ever built, is escorted by guided-missile destroyers, and its associated air wing includes F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornets, E-2D airborne early warning aircraft, as well as MH-60S and MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and C-2A Greyhounds.
Extended tours can sap sailors’ morale and strain their families, a fact the Navy acknowledged in a news release last month that touted the crew’s resilience and readiness during what it called an “extended deployment.”
“Navy leaders recognize that extended time away from families takes a real and measurable toll,” the press release said.
In January, National Public Radio reported that Ford suffered installation problems related to the toilet system, which repeatedly failed during deployment. A Navy press release acknowledged the problems, saying the ship had managed about 6 million flushes, but also said sailors were usually to blame.
“In most cases, clogs are the result of items being flushed that should not have been introduced into the system,” the report said, citing Capt. David Skarosi, Ford’s commanding officer. “When sailors follow the correct procedures, the system works reliably.”
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