The USS New Orleans, front, sails in formation with the rest of the America Amphibious Ready Group in 2021. (MC3 Jomark Almazan/Navy)
This story has been updated.
U.S. and Japanese crews extinguished the fire aboard amphibious transport docking ship New Orleans off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, two defense officials told Military Times.
U.S. Navy crews, along with the Japan Coast Guard and military, put out the fire by 4 a.m. Thursday, Japan Standard Time. They had been working to extinguish the blaze for about 11 hours, since 5 p.m. JST on Wednesday.
Two sailors sustained minor injuries and were treated by medical personnel aboard the vessel, according to the U.S. 7th Fleet.
Another defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details about the ship, said the fire appeared to be contained to the middle decks near the ship’s bow. The official added that multiple decks had been affected, without specifying how many decks were burned.
The New Orleans was anchored near White Beach Naval Facility during the time of the blaze, the 7th Fleet said. The crew of the amphibious transport docking ship San Diego, moored at the facility, helped with the firefighting efforts.
A U.S. Marine Corps official told Military Times that no Marines were aboard the ship when the fire broke out.
At the time of publishing, it was unclear how many sailors were aboard when the fire started, or what caused the blaze. The cause is under investigation, the 7th Fleet said.
The crew of the New Orleans was expected to remain aboard the ship.