“I seriously thought we were going to lose the ship. It’s either fight or die.”
Newly released footage from aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford is raising fresh questions about the true extent of damage caused by a March fire that forced the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier out of combat operations during its deployment in the Middle East.
The video, published this week, shows heavily charred compartments, extensive smoke damage, and destroyed berthing areas aboard the carrier, offering a stark contrast to initial Pentagon statements that emphasized the ship remained operational and suffered no damage to its propulsion systems.
Early reports downplayed the impact
When a fire broke out March 12 in the carrier’s main laundry facility, the Navy stated that the blaze was contained, the ship remained fully operational and two sailors suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Officials emphasized there was no damage to the propulsion plant and that flight operations continued.
Subsequent reporting, however, revealed the incident was far more disruptive than initially portrayed.
Reuters reported that nearly 200 sailors required treatment for smoke exposure and related injuries, while approximately 100 berthing spaces were affected. The damage ultimately forced the carrier to leave its operational area and enter port in Crete for repairs.
Hundreds of sailors displaced
Additional reporting in the weeks following the fire painted a picture of a crew struggling to cope with the aftermath.
According to multiple reports, approximately 600 sailors lost access to their sleeping quarters as smoke and water damage spread through sections of the ship. Emergency shipments of mattresses were reportedly sent from the United States, while some crew members were forced to sleep on floors, tables, and temporary accommodations as repairs began.
The newly released footage appears to confirm those reports, showing extensive fire and smoke damage in areas well beyond the laundry space where the fire originated.
Repairs interrupted critical deployment
The USS Gerald R. Ford had been operating in support of U.S. military operations against Iran when the fire occurred. The carrier had already been at sea for roughly nine months, one of the longest deployments in recent Navy history.
Following the fire, the carrier was forced to temporarily withdraw from combat operations and undergo repairs in Greece before later receiving more extensive maintenance work elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
The fire compounded existing challenges aboard the $13 billion warship, which had already faced widely reported problems with its plumbing and sewage systems during the deployment.
Questions remain
The Pentagon has not publicly disputed the authenticity of the newly released footage, nor has it issued an updated assessment of the total damage caused by the fire.
As Zero Hedge reports:
While the definitive cause of the fire remains unclear, Tehran has claimed responsibility, asserting it successfully targeted the premier American aircraft carrier.
Again, this has fueled widespread speculation that the Iranian account could be accurate, given the Pentagon is known to have downplayed other instances where significant military hardware came under fire.
Prior reporting has also underscored that the blaze actually hindered combat operations against Iran. The incident has been confirmed to have resulted in a complete halt to two days of combat operations. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, had described two months ago, “They fought that, put it out, and started flying sorties two days after that, so I’m very proud of that crew.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford returned to Norfolk in May after completing an unprecedented 11-month deployment that included combat operations, emergency repairs, and one of the most serious onboard fires suffered by a U.S. aircraft carrier in recent years.
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