The New York Times: USS Gerald R. Ford Leaves the Red Sea for Maintenance After Fire

The New York Times, citing a U.S. military official, reported that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford will head to the U.S. naval base on the island of Crete for repairs after a fire broke out on board last week.

The source indicated that the repairs are expected to take at least a week, and no date has yet been set for the carrier’s return to operational duties.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Gerald R. Ford is expected to leave the Red Sea and dock at Souda Bay on Crete for at least a week for a series of repairs and maintenance work.

The fire destroyed the bedding of approximately 600 sailors, and there have been reports of recurring malfunctions in the carrier’s systems.

Earlier, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced that the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which had been redeployed from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman “to compensate for the defeat of US forces,” was deliberately set ablaze in the Red Sea by a number of US soldiers due to the crew’s fear.

Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guard announced on the same day that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had withdrawn to the United States after being targeted.