A fire broke out Monday morning aboard the guided-missile destroyer Winston S. Churchill while it was pier side at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.
The blaze was reported at about 10:40 a.m., according to Naval Surface Force Atlantic spokesman Lt. Cmdr. David Carter.
“Ship’s crew responded, extinguished the fire and de-smoked the affected spaces,” Carter said in an email Tuesday. “Five personnel were transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation and later released.”
The warship is currently in the basic phase of its Optimized Fleet Response Plan cycle and is assigned to Carrier Strike Group 10, Carter said.
Carter declined to provide further details on the cause of the fire or the spaces it burnt, citing the strike group’s investigation.
The ship was commissioned in 2001 and welcomed aboard a new commanding officer, Capt. Ryan O’Loughlin, late last month.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
