Overview
- The Navy plans more than a week of repairs at Souda Bay as the carrier steps back from frontline operations.
- The March 12 non‑combat fire began in an aft laundry space and spread through ventilation, destroying over 100 berths and displacing more than 600 crew.
- Two sailors sustained non‑life‑threatening injuries with one medevaced, and more than 200 received treatment for smoke exposure before returning to duty.
- Officials say damage‑control efforts exceeded a day, though the fire itself did not burn for 30 hours, and an investigation into the cause is underway.
- Escort ships remain on station in the Red Sea while USS Abraham Lincoln continues regional combat operations as the Ford undergoes repairs.