Fire Aboard U.S. Navy Combat Ship USS Indianapolis Injures 7 Sailors At Florida Naval Base

Seven sailors were injured after a fire broke out aboard the U.S. Navy’s Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Indianapolis while it was docked at Naval Station Mayport in Florida on Wednesday, the Navy said.

The fire was reported at around 11:30 a.m. Eastern time while the ship was moored at its homeport.

Mayport Fire and Emergency Services, along with the ship’s crew, responded immediately and quickly put out the fire.

Local reports said the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department also assisted in the response.

The seven crew members suffered minor injuries and were taken to nearby hospitals for medical checks. They were later released and cleared to return to the ship the same day, according to a Navy spokesperson.

The Navy has not said how much damage the fire caused. Officials said the cause of the incident is under investigation.

USS Indianapolis is based at Naval Station Mayport, the homeport for the Navy’s Freedom-class littoral combat ships.

The ship is an upgraded version of the Freedom-class design with a longer stern to improve stability and extra sensors and automated systems to reduce the crew’s workload.

The fire is the latest in a series of incidents involving U.S. Navy ships this year.

Earlier this month, a fire broke out aboard the John Lewis-class fleet oiler USNS Harriet Tubman while it was under construction at General Dynamics NASSCO’s shipyard in San Diego, California. The fire caused limited damage, and no one was injured.

This year, fires have also been reported aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the destroyers USS Higgins and USS Zumwalt, and the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

A fire aboard USS Gerald R. Ford on March 12 forced the carrier to stop for repairs at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete.

One sailor was medically evacuated after being injured while helping fight the fire, and several others were treated for smoke inhalation.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report released in May that the Navy needs to improve how it reduces fire risks during ship maintenance.

The report found that the Navy recorded 15 major shipboard fires between May 2008 and July 2020, with 13 of them happening while ships were undergoing maintenance.

Commissioned in October 2019, USS Indianapolis completed an 18-month deployment in November 2024 and recently took part in a two-day force protection exercise at Naval Station Mayport.

The ship was also deployed to the Red Sea in 2024 as part of efforts to protect commercial shipping from Houthi attacks.

During a transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in late September, USS Indianapolis sailed with the destroyers USS Spruance and USS Stockdale when the group came under attack by Houthi forces.

According to the Pentagon, the destroyers intercepted eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles, and none of the U.S. ships were damaged.

References: NavyTimes, Task&Purpose