The Navy had planned a historic and dramatic meeting of the aircraft carriers Kitty Hawk and George Washington in Pearl Harbor this coming Sunday.

Unfortunately, it isn't happening.

A fire that broke out on the George Washington at sea on May 22 off the coast of South America spread to multiple spaces via cableways, causing extreme heat, and trapping four sailors for more than four hours.

There were no serious injuries. Twenty-three sailors were treated for heat stress, and one sailor was treated for first-degree burns. As a result of the fire, the 1,092-foot ship is in San Diego for assessment and repairs.

George Washington is replacing the Kitty Hawk in Yokosuka, Japan, as the United States' forward deployed aircraft carrier in the Pacific. The carriers were expected to rendezvous in Pearl Harbor and be side-by-side at Hotel Pier. A swap of about 900 crew members had been planned here over several days the week of June 8.

Rescheduling the turnover with Kitty Hawk will be based on a final damage assessment expected later this week, U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman Capt. Scott Gureck told Stars and Stripes.

The fire also has called into question the George Washington's planned participation in upcoming Rim of the Pacific exercises off Hawai'i scheduled June 29 through July 31, and may instead lead to Kitty Hawk being used for Rimpac.

The big biennial exercise held since 1971 this year will include 10 nations, 35 ships, six submarines, more than 150 aircraft and 20,000 sailors, airmen, Marines, soldiers and Coast Guardsmen, the Navy said. Participation from Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, the Netherlands, Peru, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the U.S. is expected.

The George Washington had been conducting a routine replacement at sea with the Pearl Harbor-based frigate Crommelin when smoke was observed on the carrier. It took several hours to contain and extinguish the fire.

The Kitty Hawk, the oldest active ship in the Navy fleet, was first deployed in 1961. It was expected to be in San Diego for several weeks before heading to Bremerton, Wash., for decommissioning.

Adm. Jonathan Greenert, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said the decommissioning wouldn't take place until early 2009 at the earliest, and only after the commissioning of the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush.

IN BRIEF

TROOPS UNABLE TO AID CYCLONE VICTIMS

Adm. Timothy Keating, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, which has its headquarters at Camp Smith, last week said U.S. sailors and Marines waiting offshore to help Myanmar with cyclone relief were frustrated at the government's refusal to allow them in the country.

"The kids out there, the young sailors and Marines, are desperate to provide help," Keating said. "They're willing to do whatever it takes."

Keating, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, said the amphibious ship USS Essex and three other ships with thousands of sailors and Marines were off the southwest coast of Myanmar.

"In addition to the helicopters, they have amphibious landing craft which can (go) up into the delta," Keating said.

The Essex, which had been off the coast for two weeks following the May 2 cyclone, is scheduled to make a port call in Hong Kong.

Keating also said he was prepared to send the hospital ship USNS Mercy to the southwest coast of Myanmar, if needed, and the clearance came through.

The Mercy, on a six-month humanitarian mission, will go from the Philippines to Vietnam, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, Keating said.

Keating credited Lt. Gen. John Goodman, commander of Marine Forces Pacific at Camp Smith, for his work in setting up a task force to aid Myanmar. The U.S. has been able to fly about five C-130 cargo plane loads of relief supplies into Myanmar daily.

Keating flew into Myanmar on May 11 on the first U.S. relief flight into the country, helping deliver 30,000 pounds of water, mosquito netting and plastic sheeting for rain shelter.

RADAR 'GOLF BALL' BACK AT PEARL HARBOR

The Sea-Based X-Band Radar, the 28-story "golf ball" on an oil platform, is back in Pearl Harbor for three weeks for maintenance on a crane and other systems, the Missile Defense Agency said.

The work is being down after the radar, called the "SBX," tracked a ballistic missile on May 22, and before a ballistic missile tracking event planned between mid-July and mid-August.

The Missile Defense Agency said the SBX has been at sea since Jan. 11, doing radar testing and conducting regular maintenance. At-sea maintenance included the first major overhaul of a diesel engine.

Another interesting ship used by the Missile Defense Agency that's on its way back to Pearl Harbor is the Mobile Launch Platform, the 603-foot former amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli.

The mobile launch platform is used to launch test targets to support Aegis ballistic missile defense and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense testing at the Navy's Pacific Missile Range facility on Kaua'i.

The launch platform is en route to Hawai'i, under tow via Navy tug from the San Francisco area, the Missile Defense Agency said. It will participate in upcoming tests in Hawai'i and return to the West Coast after September.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.