Navy ship underway for Gaza pier mission suffers fire, returns to US
By Geoff Ziezulewicz
Apr 18, 02:43 PM
One of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command ships slated to take part in building a humanitarian aid pier off the Gaza Strip suffered a mishap last week and had to return to Florida, even as the Pentagon’s target date for getting the pier operational nears.
The cargo ship 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo suffered a fire in its engine room Thursday while on its way to the Mediterranean Sea and returned under its own power on one engine to Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday, the Navy said in a statement.
“The crew evacuated the area and used portable extinguishers to put out the fire,” the Navy said. “All ship’s crew and military personnel are accounted for, and no injuries were reported.”
An investigation into the fire’s cause is ongoing, and a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operations said the Navy is in the midst of assessing whether Bobo can carry out the mission, or if another ship will be tapped for the task.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/04/18/navy-ship-underway-for-gaza-pier-mission-suffers-fire-returns-to-us/
