A small fire broke out aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) on Tuesday, injuring three sailors who were treated onboard and returned to duty. The incident occurred during scheduled maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, where the carrier has been docked for 16 months. The U.S. Navy confirmed the fire was swiftly contained by ship personnel and shipyard workers. The cause remains under investigation.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, arrived at the shipyard in January 2025 for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA), a maintenance phase to ensure the vessel meets future operational demands. The carrier completed a nine-month deployment to the Red Sea in 2023, where it defended against drone and missile attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The current maintenance includes upgrades to propulsion, combat systems, and aviation support capabilities.
This is the second fire on a U.S. Navy supercarrier this year. In March, a more serious blaze aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) took nearly 30 hours to contain, disrupting operations for two days. The Ford has since resumed sea trials in the eastern Mediterranean. The Navy has not indicated whether the Eisenhower’s maintenance schedule will be extended due to the latest incident.