Fire on US warship off Japan injures 2 sailors before being extinguished

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A fire broke out Wednesday on the USS New Orleans warship off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, leaving two sailors with minor injuries.

The fire on the amphibious transport dock ship has been extinguished and its cause is under investigation, the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement.

The fire on the 684-foot-long vessel lasted almost 12 hours, igniting as the USS New Orleans was in water near White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa.

Sailors on the ship got help fighting the fire from the crew of the USS San Diego, another warships that transports troops and aircraft, as well as the Japanese coast guard and military.

The Navy said its crew will stay aboard the ship. The USS New Orleans, which was commissioned in 2007, can hold up to 800 people.

It comes after another fire that burned for five days on the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego in July 2020. A sailor was charged and later acquitted of starting it.

A Navy report concluded that there were sweeping failures by commanders, crew members and others involved. The ship was left with extensive structural, electrical and mechanical damage and was later scrapped.