Iranian Naval Ship Catches Fire and Sinks

One of Iran’s largest navy ships has sunk after catching fire near the Strait of Hormuz under unclear circumstances.

The Kharg, named after an island nearby that serves as a key oil terminal, caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday local time and more than 20 hours of rescue operations failed to save it, the army said.

An image taken late at night showed crew in life jackets running away with a fire raging behind them. Another image, taken in daytime, showed heavy smoke billowing to the sky and fire still burning.

Iran’s army also identified the Kharg as a “training ship” and confirmed there were almost 400 crew and trainees on board, before adding all of them were safely evacuated.

A local army official told the semi-official Tasnim news agency that 20 people suffered minor burns.

No reason was provided for the cause of the fire but an army official told Iran’s IRNA the fire started in the engine room and parts of the ship’s body melted and fell into the sea.

The vessel sank close to the port of Jask in the south of the country, near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/2/large-iranian-navy-ship-sinks-after-catching-fire

More from Iran ...

Two Iranian fighter jet pilots were killed on Tuesday when their ejector seats activated before take-off, smashing them into the hangar roof.

State broadcaster IRIB reported the F-5 fighter jet had a 'technical problem' that killed both the pilots, identified as as Kianoush Basati and Hossein Nami.

The report said the incident unfolded at Dezful Vahdati Air Force Base, approximately 270 miles south of the capital Tehran, and near the Iraq border.

According to BBC Persian, ejector seats were 'wrongly activated' for both the front and rear cockpit pilots. Both men 'lost their lives due to a severe impact with the roof of the hangar', the report added.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9639925/Two-Iranian-fighter-jet-pilots-killed-ejector-seats-activate-off.html

Ooops

Do they have any military left?

Those safety pins are there for a reason. The first thing they taught us before letting us get into a fighter jet was to make sure the egress safety pins were properly installed. The handles are painted yellow and red for a reason.