Update (1817 EST):
Eyewitness say that four United States Sailors have been evacuated from the USS Milwaukee which caught fire about an hour ago in port at Naval Station Mayport, in Jacksonville, Florida.
The four sailors have been described as victims of heavy smoke inhalation and listed critical but stable. The sailors were reportedly trapped in a compartment and were overcome by smoke. There are still several hotspots but the seat of the fire has been extinguished. The cause of the fire an extent of the damage has not been reported yet.
This is developing.
According to the Milwaukee homepage:
”USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) is the third ship of the Freedom variant of the Littoral Combat Ship class, making her one of the newest and most sophisticated ships at sea today. Milwaukee was designed by Lockheed Martin and constructed by Marinette Marine Corporation (Fincantieri) in Marinette, Wisconsin. Milwaukee is armed with the Mk 110 57 mm gun. This gun provides dual-purpose, fully automated fire using the new Bofors 57 mm 3P all-target programmable ammunition which allows 3 proximity fusing modes as well as settings for time, impact, and armor piercing functions. This increases the flexibility and effectiveness of the gun system, reducing reaction time and making it possible to choose ammunition specific to the target at the moment of firing, giving it the ability to switch rapidly between surface targets, air targets, as well as ground targets. Milwaukee is also armed with RIM 116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, .50 cal machine guns, and 30 mm Bushmaster chain guns.” The ship was launched in 2013.
This incident juxtaposed with the USS Bonhomme Richard in 2020 shows a disturbing trend in portside fires.
