U.S. Media Claims Damage to USS Ford Aircraft Carrier from Fire Exceeds What U.S. Military Disclosed

On April 4, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington that U.S. media reported on the 4th that a fire on the USS Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy, during operations against Iran in March this year was far more severe and destructive than previously described by the U.S. military.

A video released by CNN on the same day showed that the crew's sleeping quarters on the carrier were burned down to only metal remnants, the ceiling was also burned through with wires hanging down, and there were large amounts of ash scattered on the floor around the sleeping quarters.

Reports indicate that crew members revealed that the fire suppression system on the carrier failed to activate properly at the time of the incident, and "the crew could only frantically try to extinguish the fire." The fire lasted for about 30 hours, causing approximately 600 crew members to lose their sleeping quarters.

In March of this year, during the U.S. military's operations against Iran, a fire broke out in the laundry room on the USS Ford. The U.S. Navy Central Command issued a statement on social media at the time, stating that the fire had "been brought under control," and that the carrier's propulsion system was not damaged and could still "operate fully."

CNN cited U.S. officials as saying that this statement from the U.S. military "downplayed" the impact of the fire on the USS Ford, but the fire did indeed affect the operational capability of the USS Ford, and it may take at least a year to return to service.