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Source – Stars and Stripes
A Navy ship carrying supplies and equipment for construction of a humanitarian corridor off the coast of Gaza has returned to the U.S. after an engine room fire, leaving behind questions over whether the project will be completed on schedule. USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, a Military Sealift Command roll-on/roll-off ship, arrived in Jacksonville, Fla., under its own power on one engine Tuesday, the Navy said in a statement Thursday. The service did not say what equipment or supplies the ship was carrying when the fire broke out in the engine room April 11 while it was traveling to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. There were no injuries and crew members put out the fire using portable extinguishers, according to the statement. The Navy didn’t say how, or if, return of the ship to the U.S. would impact the scheduled operational date of a floating dock and 1,800-foot-long causeway needed to deliver 2 million meals daily into Gaza. The Defense Department and U.S. Central Command referred Stars and Stripes’ questions about the status of the Joint Over-the-Shore project to the Navy. The Pentagon has stated repeatedly that the project will be operational by the end of this month or early May. Cargo offloaded from the Navy-built dock would be ferried to the causeway, which would extend to the Gaza shore. No U.S. service members would be on the ground in Gaza, and security would be provided by Israel, according to the DOD. The department is working with the U.S. Agency for International Development and other groups to finalize the details on how the food would be received and distributed, a job complicated by the killing of seven humanitarian workers in an Israeli airstrike in April. Earlier this month, just two of the eight ships carrying supplies and equipment to build the dock and causeway had entered the Mediterranean. But on Monday, USAV General Frank Besson, which entered the sea April 3, was in port in Crete along with two other Army ships, USNI News reported the same day. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay is located on the island. A fourth Army ship was transiting west of the island, while a fifth, USAV Wilson Wharf, was in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of north Africa, according to the USNI report. MV Roy P. Benavidez, assigned to the Military Sealift Command, also was near Crete on Monday. USNS 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez was transiting the Mediterranean off the coast of north Africa, USNI said. An investigation into the cause of the fire aboard 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, along with an assessment of the ship, was ongoing, the Navy said. FEATURED ON INSTAGRAM ALISON BATH Alison Bath reports on the U.S. Navy, including U.S. 6th Fleet, in Europe and Africa. She has reported for a variety of publications in Montana, Nevada and Louisiana, and served as editor of newspapers in Louisiana, Oregon and Washington. PREVIOUS COVERAGE 2 US ships in Mediterranean as Pentagon sticks to timeline for Gaza aid corridor 260 sailors, 2 US Navy ships will deploy to help build temporary Gaza port Humanitarian aid ship completes first food delivery to Gaza by sea Army ships deploy to build temporary Gaza port to aid Palestinians 1,000 US troops will deploy for temporary port operations to move aid into Gaza RELATED STORIES Senators urge deployment of Navy hospital ships to aid Gaza Subscribe to Stars and StripesJust 99c a week!SUBSCRIBE STARS AND STRIPES VIDEOS Iron Mountain talks about their capabilities at Sea, Air and Space… Sights and sounds: Sakura blossom across Japan New golf movie, ‘The Long Game,’ highlights Latino, military… ‘The Long Game’ cast, director talks military service Marine subject in new movie, ‘The Long Game,’ talks military service SAIC highlights AI-enhanced capabilities at Sea, Air and Space… Blooming Bergstrasse Tuskegee Airman honored by GOE ‘Monuments men’ escort looted art back to Okinawa, but fate… Life After Service: Jason Nelson, Prepper All Naturals AROUND THE WEB STRIPES TOP NEWS ARMY Army on pace to meet lowered recruitment goal for 2024, but long-term challenges remain NAVY Navy gives itself ‘C+’ on ability to repair warships ARMY ‘Replacing a traitor with a hero’: Street at US base in Germany renamed for soldier killed in Afghanistan SIGN UP FOR DAILY HEADLINES Sign up to receive a daily email of today’s top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world. SIGN UP NOW SUBSCRIBE LOGIN OUR MISSION OUR HISTORY HELP THEATERS BRANCHES VETERANS HISTORY SPORTS LIVING MULTIMEDIA GET STRIPES OPINION STORM TRACKER PROMOTIONS TODAY’S EPAPER OUR OTHER WEBSITES BACK TO TOP © 2024 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved. | Disclaimer | Web Notices and Privacy Policy | Accessibility / Section 508 | Veterans/Military Crisis Line
Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2024-04-18/gaza-aid-jlots-ship-fire-13588301.html?utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines&utm_medium=email
Source – Stars and Stripes