Seven Injured in Fire Aboard LCS USS Indianapolis
Seven sailors have been injured in a shipboard fire on the littoral combat ship USS Indianapolis, USNI reports.
The Navy confirmed that Freedom-class LCS USS Indianapolis caught fire alongside the pier Naval Station Mayport, Florida, at about 1130 hours Wednesday. Mayport is the home port for the monohull-LCS fleet.
Seven personnel sustained minor injuries, but all were treated and released on the same afternoon. The investigation is under way, Naval Surface Force Atlantic told USNI.
The story was first covered by local outlet News4Jax. According to its earlier report, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department aided the response, arriving about 45 minutes after the start of the fire. Mayport Fire and Emergency Services and the crew assisted as well, and the blaze was extinguished quickly. The Navy said that the damage was localized.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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USS Indianapolis is an upgraded Freedom-class hull, longer at the stern to improve stability and increase weight margins. She was also designed with additional sensors and automatic monitoring tools in order to minimize workload for the crew.
Indianapolis deployed to the Red Sea in 2024 during the counter-Houthi campaign to ensure freedom of navigation. While navigating the Bab el-Mandeb with destroyers USS Spruance and USS Stockdale in late September, Indianapolis was targeted by Houthi forces. The destroyers knocked down eight drones, five antiship ballistic missiles and three antiship cruise missiles, according to the Pentagon, with no damage to the American task force.