Peruvian Navy corvette BAP Guise suffered a fire outbreak on Sunday while taking part in the international Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in the Pacific Ocean.
“At approximately 8 a.m. HST this morning, the Rim of the Pacific watch floor received reports of a fire and potential injuries aboard a Combined Task Force ship,” the official RIMPAC communications channel reported, adding that a combined RIMPAC force was providing support to the vessel.
Two critically stable patients were evacuated from the ship by a helicopter from French Navy frigate FS Prairial (F731) to USCGC Midgett (WMSL 757), and have since been transferred ashore by US Navy helicopter from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).
After several hours of firefighting efforts, officials confirmed that the fire in the engine room has been extinguished.
While RIMPAC did not identify the ship, the Peruvian Navy issued a statement saying that two BAP Guise sailors had been evacuated to a hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
BAP Guise is a former Republic of Korea Navy’s Po Hang-class corvette, which was retired in December 2019. The Peruvian Navy commissioned the corvette as BAP Guise in November last year.
Guise is one of 38 ships taking part in the world’s largest naval maneuver that has gathered 26 nations, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel for drills in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.
This year’s exercise includes forces from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971 is set to conclude on August 4.
