Another fire has broken out on board a US Navy ship. At the fire on the Destroyer USS „Zumwalt“ (DDG 1000), three sailors were injured. This was confirmed by a navy spokesperson. The fire broke out at around 9.45 p.m. local time on 19 April while the ship was moored at the pier of HII Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. According to the US Navy, the crew responded immediately and was able to extinguish the flames quickly. One seaman was taken to a local hospital for further treatment as a precautionary measure.

The navy is currently investigating both the cause of the fire and possible material damage. The incident is one of several fires on US warships in recent weeks. In mid-April, a fire also broke out on the aircraft carrier USS „Dwight D. Eisenhower“ during maintenance work. Back in March, a fire in the laundry area of the USS „Gerald R. Ford“ forced the ship to make an unscheduled port call in Crete.
The USS „Zumwalt“ has been undergoing extensive modernisation since August 2023. The US Navy is replacing the previous tube weapon system with launch systems for long-range hypersonic weapons. The ship is also receiving further technical modifications for future use against naval targets. Following the first completed shipyard phases, the destroyer has been undergoing test runs again since January 2026.

The Zumwalt class, once planned as a future model with a displacement of around 15,600 tonnes, comprises only two other units in addition to the type ship: USS „Michael Monsoor“ (DDG 1001) and USS „Lyndon B. Johnson“ (DDG 1002). However, the fire shows that even the most modern units of the US Navy are not immune to the classic risks of shipboard operations.

kdk, militarytimes