Explosion on U.S. Warship Near Gulf Injures 11-Navy

[thedrifter]

Explosion on U.S. Warship Near Gulf Injures 11-Navy

Thu May 8, 2003 11:44 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eleven U.S. Marines were injured on Wednesday in an explosion in a trash container aboard the amphibious assault warship USS Saipan in the northern Arabian Sea, the Navy said.
None of the injuries was life-threatening, although one of the eleven was evacuated to an American Army field hospital in Kuwait for treatment of a serious arm injury, the U.S. 5th Fleet said in a statement. Others were being treated aboard the ship.

The cause of the explosion was under investigation, the Navy said. The 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain.

'The explosion occurred in a trash receptacle in Marine berthing, piercing a bulkhead and injuring personnel in the adjacent compartment,' the statement said.

The injured personnel were members of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and deployed to the Gulf region in support of military operations in Iraq.

The Saipan is one of a class of big U.S. Navy vessels that look like small aircraft carriers. They carry several thousand Marines along with about 50 helicopters and assault aircraft.


Sempers,

Roger