The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche arrived at Yokosuka, Japan on September 23, after combatting a shipboard engineering fire on September 20, during a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of operations.
Black smoke was reported and investigations revealed fires in the exhaust stack and nearby spaces. After 90 minutes of firefighting, the fires were confirmed extinguished.
Five crew members suffered minor injuries sustained during firefighting efforts and were treated by the onboard medical team.
The extent of the damages and cause of the fire are currently under investigation. While at Fleet Forces Yokosuka, the cutter will undergo further inspection and potentially repairs.
The rapid response and courageous efforts from the crewmembers aboard Waesche to quickly contain and extinguish the fire are a testament to the bravery and skill of this crew
stated Capt. Jason Ryan, Waesche’s commanding officer.
