Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Japan Times
June 20, 2008 By Kyodo
YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa Pref. (Kyodo)--Some compartments of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which will arrive later this year in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, suffered "serious" damage as a result of a fire last month, a U.S. Navy admiral said Thursday.
Meanwhile, Japanese and U.S. government sources suggested the carrier's deployment is likely to be postponed until September from August due to repairs. It will be the first nuclear-powered carrier forward-deployed to Japan.
Eighty of the vessel's 3,800 compartments "were affected, some very seriously damaged, some not so," Rear Adm. James Kelly, who heads U.S. Naval Forces Japan, told reporters after closed-door talks with Yokosuka Mayor Ryoichi Kabaya at the city office.
Kelly also said it took "four hours" to bring the fire, which broke out May 22 while the vessel was off South America, under control.
The sources said steel walls of certain compartments on the carrier were found to have melted or become twisted in some sections due to the fire and there was serious damage to an aircraft elevator.
But Kelly tried to allay safety concerns among the public, saying only 80 of the 3,800 spaces on the ship were damaged. "A very small area, when you think about . . . the size of an aircraft carrier," he said.
June 20, 2008 By Kyodo
YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa Pref. (Kyodo)--Some compartments of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which will arrive later this year in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, suffered "serious" damage as a result of a fire last month, a U.S. Navy admiral said Thursday.
Meanwhile, Japanese and U.S. government sources suggested the carrier's deployment is likely to be postponed until September from August due to repairs. It will be the first nuclear-powered carrier forward-deployed to Japan.
Eighty of the vessel's 3,800 compartments "were affected, some very seriously damaged, some not so," Rear Adm. James Kelly, who heads U.S. Naval Forces Japan, told reporters after closed-door talks with Yokosuka Mayor Ryoichi Kabaya at the city office.
Kelly also said it took "four hours" to bring the fire, which broke out May 22 while the vessel was off South America, under control.
The sources said steel walls of certain compartments on the carrier were found to have melted or become twisted in some sections due to the fire and there was serious damage to an aircraft elevator.
But Kelly tried to allay safety concerns among the public, saying only 80 of the 3,800 spaces on the ship were damaged. "A very small area, when you think about . . . the size of an aircraft carrier," he said.