Two sailors injured after fire rages on US warship in Japan for more than 12 hours

Japanese military and coastguard step in to help US sailors fight fire, which raged into small hours of Thursday morning

A fire blazed for more than 12 hours on the US warship USS New Orleans off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, before it was finally extinguished, leaving two sailors with minor injuries.

The fire ripped through the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock with a crew of more than 360 sailors at about 4pm local time on Wednesday, the Navy’s 7th Fleet said.

It was extinguished at about 4am local time on Thursday with the help of the Japanese military, coastguard and US navy commands, it said.

Two sailors were taken to New Orleans’ medical for minor injuries, the statement added.

A statement from the Japan Coast Guard said firefighting efforts were not concluded until after 9am local time, saying an investigation was then carried out to determine that the fire was completely doused.

The ship was at anchor off the White Beach Naval Facility on the east coast of the Japanese archipelago when the fire began. The facility serves as a logistics and support hub for the US Seventh Fleet in the Pacific.

A grab from the video shows firefighting operations (NHK)

Videos shared by Japanese broadcaster NHK showed ships spraying water on the fire on board the US warship, which is 684 feet long with a displacement of 24,000 tons.

The Navy said its crew will stay aboard the ship and an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire.

The USS New Orleans, which was commissioned in 2007, can hold up to 800 troops.

A Navy spokesperson did not provide further details on the extent of the damage, but images from local media showed firefighters concentrating their efforts in an area of the ship largely used for stores and berthing.

It comes after another fire that burned for five days on the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego in July 2020. A sailor was charged and later acquitted of starting it. A Navy report concluded that there were sweeping failures by commanders, crew members and others involved. The ship was left with extensive structural, electrical and mechanical damage and was later scrapped.