Laundry Room and Toilets in Chaos... What Happened on the $13 Billion US Carrier Deployed for Iran Airstrikes?

Laundry Room Fire on the 12th Damages Crew Facilities
Over 600 Crew Members Forced to Sleep on the Floor, Discontent Grows

The US Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which was deployed for airstrikes against Iran, is scheduled to head to Greece for repairs. This decision comes after a fire broke out on board, damaging various facilities intended for the crew's convenience.

The New York Times reported on March 17 (local time) that the USS Ford will be repaired at the US Navy's Souda Bay base on the Greek island of Crete. The repair period is expected to take more than a week.

US Navy Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford AFP Yonhap News

Previously, on March 12, a fire broke out in the laundry room on board the Ford, spreading to other areas and damaging several facilities. It took about 30 hours to extinguish the fire. While there was no damage to core equipment such as the nuclear reactors, the living conditions for the crew reportedly deteriorated rapidly.

According to the New York Times, the USS Ford's crew members are experiencing significant inconvenience due to extended missions and malfunctioning toilets on the carrier. Following this fire, more than 600 crew members have been forced to sleep on mess tables, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Even before being deployed for operations against Iran, the USS Ford had been at sea for ten months, which the New York Times noted is an unusually long deployment period for an aircraft carrier.

On the 14th (local time), an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet took off from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy's Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the "Epic Fury" operation targeting Iran. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The USS Ford is the lead ship of the Gerald R. Ford-class carriers, developed by the US Navy to replace the existing Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carriers. With a full load displacement of 110,000 tons and a length of 337 meters—comparable to a 25-story building—the ship is a massive presence. It is equipped with two A1B nuclear reactors, generating three times more power than the Nimitz-class, and provides living space for nearly 5,000 crew members, earning it the nickname "fortress at sea." Each ship costs as much as $13 billion (about 19 trillion won) to build.

The USS Ford can conduct a variety of operations using the latest stealth fighter jets, electronic warfare aircraft, and early warning planes possessed by the US Navy. Although it is a cutting-edge symbol of American military power, it has frequently suffered breakdowns, causing headaches for its crew.

Earlier, US public broadcaster NPR reported that in January, the USS Ford's toilet pipes broke while it was deployed off the coast of Venezuela, causing inconvenience for the crew. The ship's plumbing has reportedly been a continual issue since its first operational deployment in 2023.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.