Small Fire Reported Aboard USS Miami
KITTERY, Maine (AP) — A small fire has been reported aboard the USS Miami just three days after a former shipyard worker was sentenced for setting a fire that caused about $450 million in damage.
A shipyard spokeswoman says the fire was quickly doused Monday afternoon at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Meanwhile, officials say the Navy's commitment to repairing the fire-ravaged nuclear submarine is wavering.
The repairs have been postponed because of mandatory budget cuts, and Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge, commander of Submarine Group Two in Groton, Conn., said the Navy must weigh competing priorities.
The shipyard's 4,700 civilian workers will be forced to take 22 days off without pay between April and Sept. 30 under forced federal budget cuts known as sequestration. Workers plan to rally Wednesday against the mandatory cuts.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
