US warship burns for 12 hours off Japan coast; 2 sailors suffer minor injuries

The USS New Orleans warship caught fire Wednesday off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, leaving two sailors with minor injuries, officials said.

The fire aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock burned for about 12 hours in the water at White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa before the blaze was declared extinguished early Thursday morning, the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement.

The fire on the 684-foot-long vessel is under investigation. 

Two sailors were treated for minor injuries, but no details about the injuries were immediately provided.

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Sailors aboard the warship fought the blaze with help from the crew of the USS San Diego, another warship that was moored in the water at White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa, as well as the Japanese coast guard and military.

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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.

The incident comes five years after a fire broke out aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard and burned for five days in San Diego in July 2020. A sailor was charged and later acquitted of starting it.

A Navy report concluded in that case 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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.