US carrier Ford to go to port temporarily after fire

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) — The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, deployed in operations against Iran, is expected to temporarily pull into port after a fire on board, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, the 18th day of the war with Tehran.

The carrier, America’s newest and the world’s largest, is currently located in the Red Sea. It is expected to temporarily go to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, the two officials said.

The warship has been deployed for nine months, including taking part in operations against Venezuela in the Caribbean prior to arriving in the Middle East. The length of the deployment has raised questions about morale of the sailors on board and the readiness of the warship.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not say how long the Ford was expected to remain in Crete.

One of the officials said nearly 200 sailors were treated for smoke-related injuries when the fire broke out in the ship’s main laundry area. 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 for injuries, the official said.

The New York Times first reported the extent of the damage on board the warship. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After the fire initially broke out, the U.S. military had said that there was no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant and the aircraft carrier was fully operational.

The United States has carried out strikes against more than 7,000 targets since it started operations against Iran on Feb. 28.

The Ford, with more than 5,000 sailors aboard, has more than ​75 military aircraft, including fighter aircraft like the F-18 Super Hornets. The Ford has sophisticated radar that can help control air traffic and navigation.

The supporting ships, such as the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy, Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney and USS Roosevelt, include surface-to-air, surface-to-surface and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Howard Goller)