The fire-damaged USS New Orleans departs White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Aug. 28, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
WHITE BEACH NAVAL FACILITY, Okinawa — The USS New Orleans left Okinawa on Thursday for its homeport in Japan more than a week after U.S. and Japanese sailors and Japan’s coast guard extinguished a fire that burned for 12 hours aboard the ship.
The amphibious transport dock ship left White Beach at about 10 a.m. It was bound for Sasebo Naval Base on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, “for further assessment and repairs,” U.S. 7th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Matthew Comer said by email Thursday.
The New Orleans was not far from the Okinawa shore when a fire broke out in its forward area at 4 p.m. Aug. 20. Sailors extinguished it early the next morning with help from the crew of its sister ship, the USS San Diego, moored at White Beach, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the coast guard.
The New Orleans docked at White Beach at 3:40 p.m. Aug. 22 under its own power, Task Force 76 spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John Mike said by email Monday. Damage assessors inspected the ship in port, according to an Aug. 22 fleet news release.
Several sailors were treated for minor injuries and have returned to duty, according to the release. Mike and Comer declined to provide an exact number of injured sailors. The fleet reported Aug. 21 that two sailors were treated on board for minor injuries.
“The cause of the fire remains under investigation,” Comer said Thursday.
Amphibious transport dock ships carry Marines, equipment and aircraft, such as helicopters and MV-22B Ospreys, to support expeditionary warfare missions.
AloJapan.com