The guided‑missile destroyer USS Higgins suffered a major fire earlier this week that knocked out its electrical power and propulsion, U.S. officials said. No injuries were reported as of Wednesday, and investigators have not released the cause or the ship’s precise location within INDOPACOM. AIS data showed the Higgins in Singapore in February, and the Pentagon referred questions to INDOPACOM. The incident follows recent fires on carriers that injured several sailors.
Fire Knocks Out Power and Propulsion Aboard USS Higgins, Officials Say
Washington — A significant fire erupted earlier this week aboard the guided‑missile destroyer USS Higgins, U.S. officials told CBS News. The blaze disabled the ship's electrical systems and its propulsion, one official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
What Officials Have Confirmed
No injuries to U.S. service members had been reported as of Wednesday. Details about how the fire began, the destroyer’s exact location within U.S. Indo‑Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), and the full extent of the damage have not been released.
Maritime tracking data from AIS Marine showed the Higgins in port in Singapore as of February. Pentagon spokespeople redirected questions about the incident to INDOPACOM, and the destroyer’s public affairs office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Context And Related Incidents
The incident comes amid other recent fires aboard U.S. Navy carriers: a small fire aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower earlier this month injured eight sailors, and a separate laundry‑space fire aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford injured two sailors.
A U.S. official told CBS News that the Ford and its strike group are expected to leave the Middle East in the coming days; the Ford was one of three carriers operating in the region.
About The USS Higgins
The Higgins is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, and is assigned to the Navy’s forward‑deployed 7th Fleet, a central element of INDOPACOM that oversees U.S. military operations across much of the Indo‑Pacific. The ship is named for Marine Col. William Higgins, a Vietnam War veteran who was kidnapped in southern Lebanon in February 1988 by militants linked to Hezbollah. He was tortured and later killed; he was posthumously promoted while in captivity and his remains were recovered in December 1991.
Investigations and damage assessments are ongoing. Officials have not provided a timeline for repairs or when the ship might return to operational status. We will update this report as more information becomes available.
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