Silent mutiny on the high sea: US troops score a self-goal
TheUnited States, which got stuck in a war at the behest of Israel, is now caught in reported revolts and sabotage by its own soldiers in its backyard. Its sailors, worn out after months of endless war duties in the Iran conflict, may have deliberately caused a major fire on their aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford. This shocking event has led to a US Navy investigation into possible sabotage, as the crew desperately wanted to return home.
Behind the rising oil and gas prices and severe shortages across the globe that is crippling economies lies a deeper, almost unbelievable story — America, the superpower fighting Iran at Israel’s urging, is not only losing its longstanding global allies and friends in the Gulf but is now facing quiet anger and sabotage by its exhausted sailors.
This is not a rumour or propaganda. Reliable media reports and naval sources confirm that on March 12, a major fire broke out on the USS Gerald R Ford — America’s newest and most expensive aircraft carrier, costing $13 billion. The blaze started in the laundry room at the rear of the ship and raged for more than 30 hours. Sleeping quarters for 600 sailors were destroyed. Two sailors were injured by smoke. What is inexplicable is that before the fire, someone had deliberately clogged the ship’s vacuum toilets by flushing T-shirts, ropes and rags — forcing the crew into 19-hour shifts to fix it.
The US Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is now formally probing ‘sabotage’. Sailors were at sea for over 10 months preparing for “Operation Epic Fury” — non-stop alerts, missile threats near the Strait of Hormuz, and repeated extensions of duty with no shore leave. The US sailors simply wanted to go home. Iranian media calls it “scared Americans setting their own ship on fire”. American reports quietly admit the real cause is crushing fatigue.
For ordinary Indians glued to TV debates, this feels distant. But it is not. The same war that is tiring American sailors is choking the oil route that fills our petrol pumps and LPG cylinders. India gets 80-85 per cent of its LPG and a big share of crude and LNG from the Gulf. When the Hormuz Strait trembles, our kitchen and commute also tremble.
Why allies are turning away:
America launched the strikes to help Israel destroy Iran’s nuclear sites and remove its leadership. But Gulf countries — Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain — who host thousands of US troops, say they were not properly warned. Iranian missiles hit their territories. They had to use their own expensive interceptors while America focused on protecting Israel.
Now many Gulf rulers are quietly talking to Iran and complaining that Washington left them to face the fire alone. Even European allies are urging talks, not more bombing. The “coalition of the willing” that America counted on is shrinking fast.
The warship that symbolises power and its breaking point:
Aircraft carriers are America’s floating fortresses. The Gerald R. Ford is the crown jewel — nuclear-powered, carrying 75 fighter jets, a city at sea with 5,000 sailors. Nimitz-class ships like Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan have for decades parked near Iran to scare it. This year, America sent three carriers at once — something rarely done — to demonstrate its might. These ships are meant to project “we are unbeatable”.
But the Ford story shows even the mightiest ship cracks when humans inside it break. Sailors lived through months of alerts, repairs, and homesickness. When they could take no more, some allegedly chose sabotage over open mutiny — a quiet way to force the ship back to port in Greece for repairs. The carrier is now out of action, leaving a hole in America’s naval wall.
History keeps repeating:
This is not the first time American soldiers have rebelled against endless fighting.
In the Vietnam War (1960s-70s), tired troops invented “fragging” — rolling fragmentation grenades into officers’ tents. Official counts show 904 such attacks between 1969 and 192, killing 86 officers. Soldiers felt the war had no purpose and tours were getting extended. On ships, there weremysterious fires on USS Forrestal (1967 and 1972) that delayed missions. In 1971, over 130 sailors on USS Long Beach refused to sail. In later years, suspected sabotage on other vessels forced repairs and rest.
After Vietnam, America promised “no more endless wars” and better rotation. Yet in Iraq and Afghanistan, exhaustion again led to high suicides and desertions. Now, the same pattern is back — on a $13-billion super-carrier.
The deeper lesson is clear. No superpower is immune to human limits. When soldiers are kept away from families for months and years, even the world’s strongest navy starts cracking from inside. America ignored the Vietnam warning. It is paying the price, all over again.
The USS Gerald R Ford limping to Greece for repairs is more than a news headline. It is proof that when leaders forget the human cost of war, even the mightiest ships and the strongest armies begin to revolt — quietly, desperately, from within. And the bill, as always, reaches kitchens and wallets across the world — including in India.
(The writer is with Cholleti BlackRobe Chambers, Hyderabad)
