This photo shows the New Orleans, a U.S. Navy ship that caught fire on Aug. 20, 2025, off the White Beach navy facility in Uruma, Okinawa Prefecture. (Photo not for sale)(Photo courtesy of Nakagusuku Coast Guard Office)(Kyodo)
NAHA, Japan (Kyodo) — A fire aboard a U.S. military vessel anchored near a naval facility in Okinawa burned for about 12 hours before being extinguished, the U.S. Navy said Thursday, with two crew members sustaining minor injuries.
The fire began at around 4 p.m. Wednesday on the amphibious transport dock ship the New Orleans. It was declared extinguished at 4 a.m. and an investigation into the cause is under way, the Navy said.
Firefighting efforts on the ship, anchored near White Beach Naval Facility in the city of Uruma in Japan’s southern island prefecture, involved U.S. Navy personnel as well as support from the Japan Coast Guard and the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki expressed his deep frustration over the incident, warning at a press conference that it could have led to “a major disaster involving residents.”
Okinawa hosts the bulk of U.S. military installations in Japan, and anti-base sentiment runs deep due to aircraft noise, crimes committed by American service members and accidents involving U.S. military equipment.
AloJapan.com