Toilet war on US warship amid Iran tensions raises a stink

As war drums grow louder in the Middle East after Donald Trump's threat to Iran, the US Navy's leading aircraft carrier is battling a war that is far less dramatic. Clogged toilets and a sewage system failure have thrown life out of gear for the over 4,500 sailors aboard the nuclear-powered USS Gerald R Ford, which is at the heart of US overseas attack operations. That's not all. The extended deployment of the warship, now in its eighth month, has only added to the mental woes of the sailors.

The USS Gerald R Ford has been at sea since June 2025. In January, it played a crucial role during the US's Venezuelan strike, where President Nicolas Maduro was captured. Now, amid tensions with Iran, the warship has been deployed in the Middle East -- further extending the period for exhausted sailors from the typical six months.

CLOGGED TOILETS ADD TO WOES

However, what has made matters worse is the clogged toilets and a breakdown of the sewage system in what has been billed as the world's most expensive warship ($13.3 billion). According to a report in the Wall Street Journal and interviews with sailors, most of the 650 toilets in the warship are out of commission. This is due to a lack of routine maintenance, as the warship has been on the move continuously.

Such is the dire situation that the shortage of toilets has led to queues of up to 45 minutes daily. Frequent tussles between sailors and hull technicians, responsible for plumbing and repair operations, have complicated matters. In fact, technicians are working 19 hours a day to clear the mess.

This is, however, not the first time that the issue has been flagged. Last year in March, there were 205 toilet breakdowns in four days on the warship.

The problem basically stems from a key engineering defect. Despite having all state-of-the-art facilities, the warship relies on a fragile vacuum-based sewage system. It basically means that a single valve failure can disable all toilets in an entire department.

While US Officials have maintained that the problem was not impacting their missions, it has not stopped homesick sailors from revealing the grim realities to their families.

BIGGER PROBLEMS TO DISCHARGE

Many of the sailors on the Gerald Ford are men and women in their early 20s. For several, fatigue has started to creep in. The impact of staying away from their families has also taken a heavy toll. The record extension has meant the crew missing someone's birthday, wedding, funeral or their child's birth.

This has led some to contemplate leaving the military altogether after the present mission.

A similar situation last year did not end well for the US. In April-May 2025, aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman lost several fighter jets during a conflict with Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Later, an investigation linked the losses to overworked crew and the intense operational pace of the mission.

The captain of the USS Gerald Ford, David Skarosi, is well aware of the anger and disappointment among the soldiers. "When our country calls, we answer," Skarosi wrote in a letter to soldiers that was accessed by the Daily Mail.

For now, the US has bigger problems to discharge, as its President Donald Trump escalates rhetoric on striking Iran.

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