A US Navy ship en route to Gaza was forced to turn back due to an engine room fire, a spokesman said

A US Navy ship en route to Gaza was forced to turn back due to an engine room fire, a spokesman said

A US Navy ship en route to the eastern Mediterranean to help US forces prepare a jetty for aid to Gaza had to turn back last week after it caught fire, a Navy spokesman told CNN.

The ship, USNS 2nd LT John P. Bobo, reported last Thursday that it had experienced an engine room fire while in transit to the eastern Mediterranean to deliver equipment and personnel, the spokesman said.

It is unclear how the delay will affect construction of the floating pier and causeway, which the Pentagon said is expected to be operational by late April or early May.

“Crews evacuated the area and used portable fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire. All the ship’s crew and military personnel have been accounted for, and no injuries have been reported,” the spokesperson said.
“The vessel returned under its own power on one engine to Jacksonville, Fla., for further evaluation. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.”