Smoking blamed for fire on U.S. carrier

Friday, Aug. 1, 2008

LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) The U.S. Navy said Wednesday the May 22 fire on the aircraft carrier George Washington, scheduled for deployment to Japan, was probably caused by unauthorized smoking that ignited improperly stored combustible materials.

The vessel's commanding and executive officers have been relieved of their duties.

The possibility of lax discipline may heighten anxiety among residents of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, which hosts the U.S. Navy base where the nuclear-powered carrier will be stationed, although the navy has said the fire never threatened the ship's nuclear power plant. At least two rallies drawing more than 10,000 people were held in July against the deployment.

Capt. David Dykhoff was relieved of his duties Wednesday "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards," a press release from the commander of the Naval Air Forces in San Diego said. The vessel's executive officer, Capt. David M. Dober, was also relieved "for substandard performance."

The navy's investigation determined that "the likely cause of the fire was unauthorized smoking that ignited flammable liquids and other combustible material improperly stored in an adjacent space," the statement said. "The fire and the subsequent magnitude of the fire were the result of a series of human acts that could have been prevented."

Capt. J. R. Haley, who was deputy chief of staff to the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, has taken command of the George Washington, it said. He was the commanding officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt from June 2005 until this January.

Capt. Karl O. Thomas has been assigned as the George Washington's new executive officer.

The fire broke out in an unmanned auxiliary boiler exhaust and supply space when the carrier was in the Pacific off South America. The storage of 342 liters of refrigerant compressor oil in the space helped intensify the fire, the statement said.

The press release said it took around 12 hours to extinguish the fire and 37 sailors were treated for minor injuries. About 80 out of more than 3,800 total compartments aboard the carrier were damaged, incurring around $70 million in estimated repair costs.