U.S. military suffers misfortune: after a landing ship caught fire, another fighter jet also crashed

On August 20, the U.S. military had a very unlucky day.

First, a "New Orleans" amphibious assault ship stationed near the White Beach naval base in Okinawa suddenly caught fire. Due to the intensity of the fire, the U.S. Seventh Fleet had to contact the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Coast Guard for help in extinguishing the fire. The fire burned for 12 hours before being put out - according to Japanese media, the scene was in complete chaos.

But that wasn't all. Soon after, the U.S. Navy announced that a "Super Hornet" fighter jet crashed while flying near the coast of Virginia. The pilot ejected and was rescued, but the aircraft was not recovered from the water.

As of now, the U.S. Navy is still investigating both incidents. However, "Defense News" pointed out that the fire incident on the "New Orleans" could further hinder the availability of U.S. amphibious ships. A 2022 government accountability office report found that half of the 32 amphibious combat ships in the U.S. were in poor condition.

Similarly, in the same year, the Marine Corps Commandant, Eric Smith, criticized that as the Marine Corps Commandant, he had Marines, flight squadrons, and company-level and artillery units under his command... but no amphibious ships.

In fact, the lax readiness status of U.S. amphibious ships and their forces has long been a visible problem. The most direct example is the fire incident on the "USS Bonhomme Richard."

The U.S. Navy's investigation pointed out that there have been serious systemic negligence and insufficient training within the U.S. military. Not only do many crew members lack basic firefighting knowledge, but 87% of the fire stations on board are unable to be used when a fire occurs due to lack of maintenance. In addition, the U.S. Navy investigators even found falsified equipment maintenance records.

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1841027495999496/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.