United States Navy: what's happening and what it means

The USS Higgins, part of the United States Navy, suffered a serious onboard fire in the Indo-Pacific, triggering a complete loss of power and propulsion. United States Navy has emerged this Friday as one of the stories drawing attention in Singapore.

Key facts

• The USS Higgins, part of the United States Navy, suffered a serious onboard fire in the Indo-Pacific, triggering a complete loss of power and propulsion.
• The Higgins, homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, is part of the Navy's forward deployed forces assigned to the 7th Fleet — a key component of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees American military operations across more than half the globe.
• A US Navy warship lost power and propulsion for several hours in the Indo-Pacific on Tuesday, a US defense official said, after suffering what a Navy statement called an “engineering casualty” in its electrical system.
• Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Higgins are the workhorses of the US Navy’s surface fleet, with more than 70 in service.
• One of the officials told CBS News that the fire knocked out power and propulsion on the guided-missile destroyer, a mainstay of the Navy's forward presence in Asia.

What we know

Going deeper, the Higgins, homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, is part of the Navy's forward deployed forces assigned to the 7th Fleet — a key component of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees American military operations across more than half the globe.

On the substance, a US Navy warship lost power and propulsion for several hours in the Indo-Pacific on Tuesday, a US defense official said, after suffering what a Navy statement called an “engineering casualty” in its electrical system.

Beyond the headlines, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Higgins are the workhorses of the US Navy’s surface fleet, with more than 70 in service.

More precisely, one of the officials told CBS News that the fire knocked out power and propulsion on the guided-missile destroyer, a mainstay of the Navy's forward presence in Asia.

It is worth noting that Washington — A fire broke out Tuesday on the USS Higgins, a guided-missile destroyer and a mainstay of the Navy's forward presence in Asia, according to U.S. officials.

By the numbers

At this stage, Around 300 crew members were onboard, and no injuries have been reported.

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On the substance, such a situation would leave the ship, the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins, and its crew of about 300 “helpless” in the water, a naval analyst told CNN.

What they're saying

“The ship is helpless, electronically blind and immobile,” said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain.

“Initial reports indicate an electrical malfunction, which may have produced sparking or smoke that ceased once power was removed,” Comer said.

The wider context

On a related note, Navy Destroyer USS Higgins Near Chinese Territory In Indo-Pacific.

Going deeper, there were no injuries among those aboard, the Navy said.

On the substance, the Navy statement did not say where in the Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility – which stretches from the waters off the US West Coast to the western border of India, and from the North Pole to Antarctica.

Beyond the headlines, the cause of the problem is under investigation, the Navy said.

More precisely, a fire broke out on another US Navy vessel, the USS Gerald R.

The bottom line

• The Higgins, homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, is part of the Navy's forward deployed forces assigned to the 7th Fleet — a key component of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees American military operations across more than half the globe.
• A US Navy warship lost power and propulsion for several hours in the Indo-Pacific on Tuesday, a US defense official said, after suffering what a Navy statement called an “engineering casualty” in its electrical system.
• One of the officials told CBS News that the fire knocked out power and propulsion on the guided-missile destroyer, a mainstay of the Navy's forward presence in Asia.
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