US aircraft carrier to leave Red Sea for repairs after fire

LONDON

The US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford is set to leave the Red Sea to undergo repairs at the US Navy base on the Greek island of Crete after a fire broke out on the vessel last week, according to a report Tuesday.

The vessel, which is currently deployed in the Middle East amid the Iran war, will head to Naval Support Activity Souda Bay for more than a week of repairs, a senior US official confirmed to US Naval Institute News.

Citing sources, the Greek daily Kathimerini reported earlier that the aircraft carrier is to return to Crete next week.

It comes after a fire broke out on the ship on March 12 in the aft laundry facility, resulting in a major damage control response that displaced sailors across the carrier and disrupted operations throughout the vessel.

More than 600 service members lost their beds and have been bunking down on floors and tables, according to reports.

The carrier spent four days at the Souda Bay base on Crete last February resupplying before heading for the eastern Mediterranean.

"On March 12, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) experienced a fire that originated in the ship’s main laundry spaces. The cause of the fire was not combat-related and is contained," US Central Command said on the US social media company X’s platform.

The US and Israel have continued a joint offensive on Iran since Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people so far, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.