American aircraft carrier erupts in 'mystery fire' amid Iran conflict

Alice Tomlinson
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:44:39 +0000

America's largest aircraft carrier has erupted in a "mystery fire" amid the Iran conflict.

Three sailors have been injured after a fire broke out on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), the US's largest aircraft carrier, whilst docked at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia.

A small fire broke out on board the vessel, a Navy spokesman has said, with the sailors being treated by medical teams, but have since returned to full duty.

They said, speaking to USNI News: "On April 14, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower experienced a small fire that was immediately contained and extinguished by ship's force and Norfolk Navy Shipyard personnel, who responded swiftly as trained.

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"Three Sailors were treated by ship's medical and returned to full duty."

They also confirmed that there was no damage to the "ship's propulsion plant", concluding the vessel "remains fully operational", the Express reports.

The vessel has been docked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for 16 months.

Located in Portsmouth, Virginia, the shipyard is the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the US Navy as well as the most advanced.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1977.

It is the second of ten Nimitz-class vessels in service and has been deployed in the Gulf War in the 1990s and in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen.

This is not the first reported fire onboard an American aircraft carrier since the Iran war broke out, with another one occurring on the USS Gerald Ford, which has been deployed in the Middle East.

The fire was non-combat related, the US military confirmed, with it occurring in the vessel's laundry area.

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The USS Gerald Ford broke a 50-year record today, surpassing 297 days at the sea - the longest deployment of any US Navy aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War.

The milestone exceeds the USS Abraham Lincoln's 294-day deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which had previously held the record.

What began as a normal routine of a European and Mediterranean rotation, evolved into a multi-theatre operation for the vessel, spanning three separate deployments.

The carrier departed its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on 24 June 2025, initially participating in Nato exercises.

By autumn 2025, the ship was redirected to the Caribbean as the US military began a significant buildup amid escalating tensions with Venezuela.

The Ford's crew had expected to return home by late December 2025, but the deployment was extended to support a special US operation in early January 2026 that resulted in the extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In February 2026, the Pentagon ordered a major military buildup in the Middle East, and the Ford was redirected once again — this time to the Central Command area of responsibility, where it joined the USS Abraham Lincoln in the region.

The US vessel's record is a stark contrast in comparison to the UK's HMS Dragon's performance, with the frigate taking three weeks to reach the eastern Mediterranean from deployment.

The ship remained at Portsmouth harbour for over a week, as necessary preparations needed to be carried.

After departing on March 10, the Type 45 destroyer loitered in the English Channel for three days.

Reports came in that it had only reached Gibraltar on March 17.

Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed the frigate arrived at the Cypriot coast on March 23, to which it is still located.