Although the extent of the damage to the USS New Orleans is unknown, it will likely sideline a vital component of the US Navy’s surface fleet for months or longer.
A fire broke out on the United States Navy’s San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD-18) off the coast of Okinawa on Wednesday, the US 7th Fleet has confirmed. The warship was moored near White Beach in Uruma City, home of a large US naval facility, at the time of the incident.
“Crews are responding to a fire aboard USS New Orleans this afternoon, Aug. 20, which is in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan,” the US Navy said in a statement to USNI News. “We will provide more details as they become available.”
Warship on Fire: What We Know So Far
The fire is reported to have broken out at around 5 pm local time (4 am EST), and US military crews were joined by units from the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to extinguish it. Japanese media reports and photos posted to social media showed smoke and fire rising from the ship, as well as numerous firefighting ships that were on the scene.
“A fire has broken out on a US vessel off the coast of White Beach. The crew is currently engaged in firefighting efforts, but we have requested the Japan Coast Guard to provide firefighting assistance,” a Japan Coast Guard official told national broadcaster NHK.
At time of publication, there have been no reports of casualties, but that could change as additional information comes in.
The last major fire on a US warship was in July 2020, when the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) was engulfed in flames while undergoing maintenance at Naval Base San Diego. That blaze took four days for firefighters to bring under control, and resulted in the “total loss” of the warship.
About the USS New Orleans
LPD-18 is the second San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock built for the United States Navy. It was laid down in October 2002 and launched just over two years later. The vessel was commissioned in 2007, but was noted for numerous problems that delayed its active service.
Just two years after joining the fleet, USS New Orleans collided with the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN-768) in the Strait of Hormuz. That collision resulted in billions of dollars of damage, becoming “one of the costliest mishaps involving American submarines in history,” as defense analyst Maya Carlin wrote for The National Interest earlier this year.
USS New Orleans is currently based in Sasebo, Japan, as part of the US 7th Fleet’s forward-deployed amphibious force. The warship, which carries landing craft air cushion (LCAC) and/or conventional landing craft and can also embark helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft, has a complement of nearly 400 sailors and officers. Each LPD is 684 feet long and 105 feet wide and can carry a landing force of 66 officers and 633 Marines.
The amphibious transport dock is the fourth US Navy warship to be named for the “Big Easy.” The first was the CL-22, one of two New Orleans-class protected cruisers built just prior to the Spanish-American War in 1898.
The second USS New Orleans, CL-32, was the lead vessel of a class of seven heavy cruisers built in the 1930s. The warship, which survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, saw later service at the Battles of Coral Sea, Midway, and the Eastern Solomons, among other actions in the Pacific Theater.
The third vessel to be named USS New Orleans, LPH-11, was the Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship. It should be noted that that warship was technically named for the “Battle of New Orleans,” as all ships of that class have been named for famous battles in American history.
Although the extent of the damage to LPD-18 is unknown, it will likely sideline a vital component of the US Navy’s surface fleet for months or longer.
This is a developing story.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / Surasak_Photo.
