Off the coast of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, a fire broke out on board the amphibious transport ship of the US Navy USS New Orleans, which lasted more than 12 hours. The incident began around 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday and was completely eliminated only by Thursday morning. As a result of the fire, two sailors were injured and received medical assistance on board.
The USS New Orleans is a large amphibious vessel capable of carrying over 800 military personnel and equipped with a crew of over 360 people. At the time of the fire, the ship was anchored near the White Beach Naval Base in Uruma, which is an important point for the deployment of the US Marine Corps.
In addition to the crew of the USS New Orleans, assistance from another amphibious assault ship of the US Navy, the USS San Diego, the Japanese Coast Guard, the country's maritime self-Defense Forces and other units of the American Navy in Okinawa was involved in extinguishing the fire.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established, the investigation is ongoing. The US General Military Command emphasizes that the damage to the ship is being assessed, and work to restore its combat readiness will be carried out as soon as possible.
Local authorities and residents of Okinawa expressed concern about the incident, given the high concentration of American military installations on the island. The fire caused intense smoke and became visible at a considerable distance.
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