Federal Law Enforcement Investigates Fire Aboard Ford Aircraft Carrier

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford had supported U.S. combat operations against Iran before relocating to Greece to deal with repairs.

USS Gerald R. Ford arrives in Split, Croatia, on March 28, 2026. U.S. Navy

Federal law enforcement officials have initiated an investigation into the fire that sidelined the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford from combat operations against Iran earlier this month.

A fire broke out aboard the aircraft carrier on March 12, as it was supporting a campaign of strikes on Iran known as Operation Epic Fury. The carrier, which is the first in its class and largest in the world, had been operating in the Red Sea when the fire broke out and left the region soon after to undergo repairs.

On March 23, the U.S. 6th Fleet reported the Gerald R. Ford had arrived at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay in Greece to undergo maintenance and repairs.

In a March 28 update, the 6th Fleet revealed that during the Souda Bay stop, military and federal civilian law enforcement officials had continued investigative efforts into the fire, which originated in the ship’s onboard laundry facilities.

The 6th Fleet did not say whether foul play is suspected in the March 12 fire.

In 2020, Navy investigators charged a U.S. sailor in connection with a fire that broke out aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard. The accused sailor was acquitted of the charges in that case. The Navy elected to scrap the fire-damaged ship rather than repair it.

Structural engineers, naval architects, and other subject matter maintenance personnel conducted an assessment of the Gerald R. Ford’s repair needs during the Souda Bay stop.

Members of the Gerald R. Ford’s crew and local industry partners also rehabilitated seven berthing compartments affected by the recent fire. A ship’s berthing spaces serve as the crew’s quarters, where they sleep and stow their personal belongings.

The stop in Souda Bay concluded on March 26, and the Gerald R. Ford has since relocated to the Croatian port city of Split.

“The crew is excited to be back in Split for some well-deserved liberty,” Capt. David Skarosi, the carrier’s commanding officer, said on March 28.

The Gerald R. Ford’s current deployment began on June 24, 2025. Prior to the recent combat operations in the Red Sea, the carrier had sailed in the Caribbean and supported strikes on local drug trafficking networks there, as well as the armed U.S. raid to capture wanted then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

U.S. President Donald Trump had directed the Ford carrier strike group and the Lincoln carrier strike group—led by the USS Abraham Lincoln—to the Middle East in the weeks before directing U.S. forces to commence joint attacks alongside Israeli forces against Iran on Feb. 28.

The Abraham Lincoln is continuing to support combat operations against Iran.

In recent weeks, the Pentagon has also dispatched two additional amphibious ready groups closer to the Middle East. Each group is led by an amphibious assault ship capable of launching additional strike aircraft and carries an embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit capable of conducting ground combat operations.

The USS Tripoli, which is the lead ship in the eponymous Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of operations on March 27.

About 3,500 U.S. sailors and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit are aboard the Tripoli. Additional sailors and Marines may bolster the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s presence in the Middle East in the coming days.

The USS Boxer amphibious ready group and its embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are currently sailing west across the Pacific.