Fire on U.S. Aircraft Carrier Raged for Hours, Sailors Say

[Zorro]

The Ford is now entering its 10th month of deployment after arriving in the Middle East from the Caribbean.

It took more than 30 hours for sailors to put out the fire aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford last week, sailors and military officials said, as the beleaguered ship continued its monthslong slog through President Trump’s military operations.

The fire started in the ship’s main laundry area last Thursday. By the time it was over, more than 600 sailors and crew members had lost their beds and have since been bunking down on floors and tables, officials said.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said two sailors received treatment for “non-life-threatening injuries.” People on the ship reported that dozens of service members suffered smoke inhalation.

And in the category of non-life-threatening, but still not ideal, many sailors have not been able to do laundry since the fire.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/us/politics/uss-ford-fire-iran-venezuela.html?unlocked_article_code=1.T1A.5Eyg.31yg8n6xcTF9&smid=url-share

[jls4561]

1. Isn't that the ship that was having problems with the sewage system?

[Arazi]

7. Yes. They're shitting over the sides of the ship

Plus their deployment just got extended to May - this will be one of the longest deployments in American history.

Morale must be terrible 😞

[Turbineguy]

2. Lint traps are notorious for shipboard fires.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

3. some househould fires too. nt

[littlemissmartypants]

4. Giving even more meaning to the phrase, war is hell.

When you literally have to fight flames. On a ship. I can't imagine.

I bet the recruiters are loving their odds right now.


I feel sorry for the sailors. Both of my dads* were sailors for the majority of their lives. I wish they were still here so I could talk to them about it. But I'd hate for them to see this mess we're all in.

TY, Zorro. ❤️

*biological and adoptive.

[PeaceWave]

5. These things happen onboard Navy ships. My brother served aboard the Kitty Hawk...

When he returned from service, he had so many stories to tell. One of them involved someone inadvertently tipping over a container of very strong acid on one of the many levels of the ship. He said the stuff burnt through four levels before it could be contained.

[HAB911]

6. Someone should have known

naming a ship after Gerald Stumblebum Ford might be problematic