Fire, fatigue strain crew of US aircraft carrier during long deployment

The USS Gerald R. Ford is in its 10th month of deployment in the Middle East, where it is supporting operations linked to a three-week-old US-Israeli war against Iran, according to US officials and military analysts.

The deployment is approaching the post-Vietnam War record of 294 days at sea and could extend until May, roughly double the standard six-month rotation.

A fire broke out last Thursday in the carrier's laundry facility, reportedly originating in a dryer vent. Sailors took more than 30 hours to extinguish the blaze, which left more than 600 crew members without beds and forced them to sleep on floors and tables, says the New York Times.

Dozens of service members suffered from smoke inhalation, and two sailors received treatment for "non-life-threatening injuries," according to Central Command. The incident also disrupted laundry services on board.

Central Command said the fire caused "no damage to the ship's propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational," adding that the vessel continues round-the-clock flight operations.

The Ford, which carries about 4,500 personnel, has been deployed across multiple regions in recent months. It was initially operating in the Mediterranean before being diverted to the Caribbean in late October to support a pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. It was later redirected to the Middle East as the conflict with Iran escalated.

Military experts say the prolonged deployment and rapid redeployments have placed strain on both the crew and the ship's systems.

"Ships get tired too, and they get beat up over the course of long deployments. You can't run a ship that long and that hard and expect her and her crew to perform at peak capacity," said John F. Kirby, a retired naval officer and former Pentagon press secretary.

In addition to the recent fire, the Ford has faced recurring maintenance issues, including breakdowns in its toilet system. A scheduled maintenance and refitting period earlier this year was postponed to keep the carrier deployed, leaving some repairs unaddressed.

Officials say the operational tempo, which has seen the carrier move from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and then to the Middle East, reflects a strategy aimed at maintaining a continuous US military presence across multiple regions.

While Central Command maintains that the carrier remains fully mission-capable, some military officials have privately acknowledged it is "reaching the limits of its deployment strength."

The Pentagon is preparing the USS George HW Bush to relieve the Ford, signaling that the extended deployment may be nearing its end.