A U.S. Navy warship erupted in flames Wednesday while anchored off Okinawa, burning for 12 hours before the blaze was extinguished early Thursday, local media reported.
The fire broke out around 4 p.m. aboard the amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD-18) near White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa. The U.S. 7th Fleet reported that two sailors suffered minor injuries and were treated aboard the ship.
Sailors from the New Orleans battled the blaze with support from the nearby USS San Diego (LPD-22). About an hour later, the Japan Coast Guard and Maritime Self-Defense Force joined in. The fire was declared extinguished by 4 a.m. Thursday.
Footage showing firefighting ships with the Japanese Coast Guard fighting a fire onboard the San Antonio-Class Amphibious Transport Dock, USS New Orleans (LPD-18), off the coast of Okinawa, Japan. pic.twitter.com/czcUFgvSO8
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The Navy has not detailed the extent of the damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Commissioned in 2007, the San Antonio-class New Orleans is part of the forward-deployed amphibious force in Sasebo, Japan, and is designed to deploy Marines, equipment, and aircraft such as CH-46 Sea Knights and MV-22 Ospreys.
The Navy previously battled a massive fire aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego in July 2020. The blaze raged for four days before being extinguished and left 62 people injured.
Repairs were projected to take up to seven years and cost billions, leading the Navy to ultimately decommission the ship.
AloJapan.com