US GOV VESSEL

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Assault ship suffered breakdown off Virgina Beach

The USS 'Iwo Jima' was back at sea on Sep 10, 2024 after a breakdown in the engineering room had forced the amphibious assault ship to return to Naval Station Norfolk on Sep 5. The ship had stalled off the coast of Virginia Beach. The ship had broken down because of a problem in the engine room, making it the third Wasp-class ship to suffer maintenance issues. The Norfolk-based USS 'Wasp' had suffered a mechanical failure before it deployed June 1. In April, the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti had warned the ship may be delayed because of an unnamed mechanical problem. The San Diego-based USS 'Boxer' was delayed repeatedly in part due to maintenance issues with its propulsion system. Several problems with basic maintenance had damaged the ship. The U.S. General Accountability Office found that sailors were poorly trained in maintenance throughout the fleet. Inspectors visited the USS 'wasp' in Norfolk, along with several other ships and found maintenance crews were chronically understaffed.

Fire in cargo hold

A fire broke out in a cargo hold of the USS 'Iwo Jima', which was docked at the Naval Station Mayport, on Nov 14, 2019. at 11.45 p.m. Sailors on board reported smoke in a cargo hold and a subsequent damage control investigation identified the fire and confirmed the fire had not spread to surrounding spaces. The crew, assisted by sailors from USS 'The Sullivans', federal firefighters and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, worked together to fight the fire, which was extinguished on Nov 15 at 04.35 a.m. It didn’t spread beyond the cargo hold. 11 sailors suffered minor injures. They suffered heat exhaustion, smoke inhalation and muscle injuries, but all were treated at the scene and released. The extent of ship’s damages were yet unknown. Report with photos and video: https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/two-sailors-hurt-in-fire-on-uss-iwo-jima-in-mayport/1008881909