Eleven people suffered injuries and were rushed to various hospitals following a smoke-related incident on a US Navy ship undergoing maintenance at General Dynamics NASSCO's shipyard in San Diego, California, on Saturday, September 20.
The dock landing ship (LSD) USS Harpers Ferry was at NASSCO's facilities for scheduled repair and modernisation works when a fan located near the gym on the vessel's third deck suddenly malfunctioned, causing smoke to build up on board.
A spokesperson for NASSCO confirmed that several personnel aboard the LSD suffered "mild to moderate smoke inhalation," though all of the affected individuals have been treated and were already released by the morning of Sunday, September 21.
Firefighting teams from various agencies had also deployed to the shipyard in response to the incident and successfully contained the smoke, the spokesperson added.
Despite the ongoing modernisation works, the navy had earlier said that Harpers Ferry could be retired from service in 2028.
Commissioned in 1995, the LSD is also the lead ship of her class. She is due to be replaced by the San Antonio-class flight II amphibious transport docks.