LHD Bonhomme Richard burning right now in in port in San Diego

[LittleLebowski]

Livestream.

https://www.facebook.com/ABC10News/videos/737711026963921/

[LittleLebowski]

57237

[rcbusmc24]

Don't know for sure but looks like something caught on the hanger deck.... looks like the stern area fuel handling area might be going up as well. Ship fires scare me, at least here they are in port.

My dad didn't see Captain (retired as a Commander) in the Navy because a junior sailor decided to set the lower V of his ship USS Raleigh / LPD 1) on fire in a misguided attempt to get out of going to fleet week after Desert Storm.... took all the crews at Little Creek, Base Fire Dept and the locals to get that one out and it ended up with the ship being decommissioned shortly afterwards, was originally going to be overhauled....

[TheRoland]

Yikes. That looks like a significant amount of fire.

EDIT; and there's noticeably more black smoke like 5 minutes later, instead of less.

[Half Moon]

Don't know for sure but looks like something caught on the hanger deck.... looks like the stern area fuel handling area might be going up as well. Ship fires scare me, at least here they are in port.

My dad didn't see Captain (retired as a Commander) in the Navy because a junior sailor decided to set the lower V of his ship USS Raleigh / LPD 1) on fire in a misguided attempt to get out of going to fleet week after Desert Storm.... took all the crews at Little Creek, Base Fire Dept and the locals to get that one out and it ended up with the ship being decommissioned shortly afterwards, was originally going to be overhauled....

News is now saying it started on the Well Deck FWIW.

[TheRoland]

I don't usually sit and gawk at fires, but it's a slow day and San Diego was my pre-pandemic second home. That excuse made, scanner traffic just mentioned a "mass" of sailors "running" from the ship as fire has made it into engine fuel. That's likely not great?

[TGS]

Don't know for sure but looks like something caught on the hanger deck.... looks like the stern area fuel handling area might be going up as well. Ship fires scare me, at least here they are in port.

My dad didn't see Captain (retired as a Commander) in the Navy because a junior sailor decided to set the lower V of his ship USS Raleigh / LPD 1) on fire in a misguided attempt to get out of going to fleet week after Desert Storm.... took all the crews at Little Creek, Base Fire Dept and the locals to get that one out and it ended up with the ship being decommissioned shortly afterwards, was originally going to be overhauled....

Given that I believe public lashings and keel-hauling were out of style around this time, what sort of punishment did the kid get for destroying a near-14,000 ton ship?

[LittleLebowski]

Damn.

57238

[TGS]

Spent a few nights on the Bonhomme Richard. I hope the crew is pulling together in what is likely the most significant event of their service. I'm not a sailor but my ass rode in navy equipment, so as I understand there is nothing to a sailor's time in service quite like having to fight for their ship that will create some deeply emotional, mental and physical scars......whereas to many people watching this on the news the event is just a blip of minor, fleeting interest and inconsequential history.

[rcbusmc24]

No real experience compared to the actual Sailors on the board, but I did spend part of one of my Western Pacific MEU's earning a Enlisted Surface Warfare pin as the Corpsmen asked if any Marines wanted to tag along while they got theirs. So the fire boats on the outside are conducting boundary cooling, trying to keep particular areas of the hull cool, might be areas near fuel tanks or loaded ammunition areas, it looks like they have all of their aircraft and cargo handling equipment out of the hanger and up on the flight deck, plus their are a lot of mil vans on deck so I imagine that they are in some kind of overhaul period... If that is occurring then hopefully they do not have too much fuel or ammo on board....

It's Sunday so they most likely only had one duty section on board the ship, That parking lot would be packed if the whole crew was there.... I'm sure every other ship in the port sent fire fighting parties as soon as the call went out, along with base fire, who are familiar with ship fires.... but in the case of other ship crews, while they know how to fight a fire, Just like every Marine a rifleman, every Sailor is a firefighter, they don't know the ship and its stations as well as they do their own so the duty section on the Richard has to escort all of them....

Black smoke is not a good sign....

[rcbusmc24]

Given that I believe public lashings and keel-hauling were out of style around this time, what sort of punishment did the kid get for destroying a near-14,000 ton ship?

Up until he died my dad used to check every year to see if he was still in Leavenworth.... don't know whats happened since....

[Suvorov]

Praying for no loss of life!

The image does not look good. :(

[LittleLebowski]

Remember the USS Miami fire?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Miami_(SSN-755)

[Trooper224]

I fought two fires at sea aboard a frigate, that was sporty.

[Trooper224]

Praying for no loss of life!

The image does not look good. :(

I think the last report I saw said eleven dead.

[Jim Watson]

Failure to set a fire watch while welding?
Sabotage by a Woke Infiltrator?
Other?
No doubt there will be an investigation.

[scjbash]

I think the last report I saw said eleven dead.

I saw eleven injured earlier and current reports say 18 injured. I haven't seen any deaths reported yet.

[SeriousStudent]

I think the last report I saw said eleven dead.

Gosh, that is terrible. :( Fair winds and following seas to them.

I hope their shipmates save their ship.

[LittleLebowski]

Better video link.

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1djGXoyEvgBKZ

[Kirk]

Failure to set a fire watch while welding?
Sabotage by a Woke Infiltrator?
Other?
No doubt there will be an investigation.

Sabotage by a woke infiltrator? Just how much InfoWars do you watch per day?

[trailrunner]

My dad was on the Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) when it was down the bay at bit at North Island NAS, and he served on other ships at 32nd Street Naval Station.

Ship fires are not good. Let’s hope for the best for the firefighters and sailors onboard.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[LittleLebowski]

I think the last report I saw said eleven dead.

Seeing 17 injured, no dead, thankfully.

[LittleLebowski]

Front view.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39sRT4_pvTs

[Lester Polfus]

I fought three shipboard fires. Two were pier-side and one was at sea.

When I first saw the headline, I kinda was like "so what?" Ships have fires all the time. But this is a big fucking deal. That's a mass-conflag that looks uncontrolled. I'm not sure how that happened, and I'm not going to jump in on the wild speculation but holy shit!

[Jim Watson]

Stupidity over malice. But malice exists.

[camel]

Stupidity over malice. But malice exists.

Nm

[LittleLebowski]

https://twitter.com/SurfaceWarriors/status/1282483678786932738

[Mark D]

Never spent much time on ships, but I've read enough about ship fires to know they can be highly dangerous for the crew. Hoping for a positive outcome here, without loss of life.

[JRB]

I don't pray very often, but tonight I'm praying for those guys and gals.

[0ddl0t]

Probably unrelated, but this does come a week after a sophisticated cyber attack caused Iranian centerfuges to halt & catch fire...

[rcbusmc24]

Word from the press conference is that a fuel handling apparatus in the deep V malfunctioned. This caused the room to pressurize and then explode in flames.

Supposedly a hole has melted in the flightdeck, the bridge went up and the island became fully involved, the hull has been majorly warped, the ship is down 1 degree at the bow and 4 degree's at the stern. All FF efforts were suspended. The ship will be a total loss....

[LittleLebowski]

Still burning.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPAfO2pg2v8

[Stephanie B]

Still burning.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPAfO2pg2v8

Don't know why that's a NVD image, sunrise was over 90 minutes ago.

You don't need to drop water from helos on a fire that's deep in a cargo hold. But that's what they're doing (https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/fire-aboard-uss-bonhomme-richard-at-naval-base-san-diego/509-770525a3-7f88-4d30-9171-b7e92b82489e). Casualty count's up to 54.

She was finishing up a two-year quarter-billion dollar overhaul. (https://news.usni.org/2020/07/13/fire-fight-intensifies-on-uss-bonhomme-richard-5-sailors-still-hospitalized)

Anyhoo, I'm betting that the submarine COs are quietly lobbying to be in on the SINKEX.

[TGS]

Anyhoo, I'm betting that the submarine COs are quietly lobbying to be in on the SINKEX.

These ships make great artificial reefs for diving.

Just sayin'....

[Suvorov]

Word from the press conference is that a fuel handling apparatus in the deep V malfunctioned. This caused the room to pressurize and then explode in flames.

Supposedly a hole has melted in the flightdeck, the bridge went up and the island became fully involved, the hull has been majorly warped, the ship is down 1 degree at the bow and 4 degree's at the stern. All FF efforts were suspended. The ship will be a total loss....

Just pisses me off. Other than potential loss of life and debilitating injuries what pisses me off is knowing that around the world and at home there are assholes snickering and cheering.

[LittleLebowski]

Looks like it's listing badly.

57293

[LittleLebowski]

1282563515774050304

[LittleLebowski]

57294

[blues]

Very sad to read this.

[LittleLebowski]

CBS 8 live feed.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=619685855341332

[Lester Polfus]

It's hard to imagine this as anything other than a fundamental failure in damage control and prevention.

Taken in context with the Fitzgerald, McCain, Guardian, Porter, Antietam and other incidents, it is hard not to conclude that the Navy has some fundamental problems.

[LittleLebowski]

It's hard to imagine this as anything other than a fundamental failure in damage control and prevention.

Taken in context with the Fitzgerald, McCain, Guardian, Porter, Antietam and other incidents, it is hard not to conclude that the Navy has some fundamental problems.

Don't worry, the Navy will fire many people and not fix the real issue.

[Lester Polfus]

Don't worry, the Navy will fire many people and not fix the real issue.

and more good kids will die.

[Stephanie B]

The fire erupted Sunday morning and continues to burn. It broke out in a lower cargo area where cardboard and drywall supplies were stored and firefighters initially fought it with water until they had to withdraw.. (https://apnews.com/c5e84874680cebcaa2ecd7dfdcc785b2)
Drywall?? When the hell did the Navy start using drywall on ships?

[Suvorov]

Drywall?? When the hell did the Navy start using drywall on ships?

Isn’t drywall fire resistant?

[Stephanie B]

Drywall?? When the hell did the Navy start using drywall on ships?


Isn’t drywall fire resistant?

Not so much, it seems.

[Hambo]

Drywall?? When the hell did the Navy start using drywall on ships?

Cargo?

[ranger]

Drywall is gypsum between sheets of paper

[randyho]

It is not a good time to have reason to doubt PACFLEET

[Rick62]

Drywall?? When the hell did the Navy start using drywall on ships?

I believe it was misquoted- should be tri-wall.

[JAD]

It says ‘where drywall and cardboard were stored.’ Seems reasonable.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Seems this ship out of action is a big deal for Pacific plans:

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/07/13/the-bonhomme-richard-fire-deals-a-blow-to-the-navys-designs-in-the-indo-pacific/

[Stephanie B]

I believe it was misquoted- should be tri-wall.

That makes sense. Throwing away tri-wall was almost a capital offense.

[Stephanie B]

Seems this ship out of action is a big deal for Pacific plans:

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/07/13/the-bonhomme-richard-fire-deals-a-blow-to-the-navys-designs-in-the-indo-pacific/

I suspect that the BHR is a goner. They'd best start buying the long-lead items for a new one.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Lots of naval articles, like in USNI Proceedings, suggest we should cut back on new CVNs, and use the LHD hull as light carriers (no amphib stuff), just F-35s. They say 3 conventional light carriers are worth more than one CVN as if it goes under, that's that. Distributed forces are better.

[HCM]

Probably unrelated, but this does come a week after a sophisticated cyber attack caused Iranian centerfuges to halt & catch fire...

https://www.foxnews.com/world/irans-nuclear-facilities-are-mysteriously-under-attack

Iran’s nuclear facilities are mysteriously under attack
Iran's nuclear facilities have been under attack for weeks, but it's still unclear by whom

[Gater]

57335

[LittleLebowski]

https://www.foxnews.com/world/irans-nuclear-facilities-are-mysteriously-under-attack

Iran’s nuclear facilities are mysteriously under attack
Iran's nuclear facilities have been under attack for weeks, but it's still unclear by whom

Israel.

[Stephanie B]

The Navy has said that the fire started in "deep-v storage", which is #18 on this schematic:

57340

For it to be burning through the top of the superstructure, as it has, a lot of stuff inside the ship is gone. The good thing is that, with it just having come out of the shiipyard, the magazines are probably empty.

On another note, there normally would be a hell of a lot of people with orders to the ship who are somewhere in the training/transition pipelines. All of them are going to need to be dealt with, since there is, at present, nothing to report to.

[Lester Polfus]

I find it really difficult to believe the ship will be anything but scrap after this, but stranger things have happened.

[Stephanie B]

I find it really difficult to believe the ship will be anything but scrap after this, but stranger things have happened.

Yeah, look at the USS Belknap. for example. It's not like Naval Air, though, where they can rivet the BuNo plate to an new airframe and pretend that it's the same aircraft. :D

When they started work on the Belknap, every so often, all the workers would come boiling out of the ship. When they did so, it was because a team had cut into a mass of formerly-molten metal that contained a body.

[JAD]

Israel.

Or any sane nation with the stones. So, Israel.

[randyho]

57335
That will not buff out. Damnit. VTOL for F35's may become far more commonplace on far more ships.

More recent pics seem to suggest that the nearby ddg's are now not so nearby, which is good.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

They rebuilt this destroyer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Laffey_(DD-724) after all those kamikaze attacks. Maybe they can rebuild this ship.

Seems to be a thing to set fire to your amphib ships: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/32980/a-fire-has-broken-out-on-chinas-massive-new-type-075-amphibious-assault-ship

[Trooper224]

They rebuilt this destroyer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Laffey_(DD-724) after all those kamikaze attacks. Maybe they can rebuild this ship.

Seems to be a thing to set fire to your amphib ships: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/32980/a-fire-has-broken-out-on-chinas-massive-new-type-075-amphibious-assault-ship

There's far more time and expense involved in rehabbing that amphib compared to a tin can.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

True, just giving an example. Someone is in trouble for having lots of flammable materials and no fire control available. Wonder how the damage compares to the exploding bomb incidents on the carriers in Viet Nam days, IIRC? Would have to look that up but maybe someone knows.

[Bergeron]

There's an insightful sort of article from The War Zone from a submariner on the unique risks present at in-port maintenance that also includes possible improvements to the process.

Ship Vulnerability in Port (https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/34832/veteran-sailor-on-why-navy-ships-can-be-most-vulnerable-in-port-and-how-to-change-that)

[Trooper224]

True, just giving an example. Someone is in trouble for having lots of flammable materials and no fire control available. Wonder how the damage compares to the exploding bomb incidents on the carriers in Viet Nam days, IIRC? Would have to look that up but maybe someone knows.

The one bright spot is, since the ship was in overhaul, there wasn't any ordnance on board. It can take a lot to sink a ship. What really does the damage are secondary explosions from ordnance and fuel stores.

[Stephanie B]

There's an insightful sort of article from The War Zone from a submariner on the unique risks present at in-port maintenance that also includes possible improvements to the process.

Ship Vulnerability in Port (https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/34832/veteran-sailor-on-why-navy-ships-can-be-most-vulnerable-in-port-and-how-to-change-that)

That's a decent article, but his point that it would not have happened on a nuclear-powered ship is, frankly, garbage.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

This is a total diversion. I got into an argument about the Independence Day movie. If one recalls, a small nuke seemed to have exploded a ship as big as a small moon. It was said that the size of the bomb wouldn't have done that. I said, the bomb obviously set off internal power supplies or ordnance. Sort of like what happened to HMS Hood. Many battleships took lots of hits to sink but Hood went with a salvo, although the actual cause is still debated. It did set off something.

They say the fuel tanks are safe in the LHD. That would have really done them in.

[Stephanie B]

The one bright spot is, since the ship was in overhaul, there wasn't any ordnance on board. It can take a lot to sink a ship. What really does the damage are secondary explosions from ordnance and fuel stores.

At sea, with full damage control capabilities and manning, the fire either wouldn't have happened or it would have been knocked down in very short order. I suspect that this is a problem with the crap that goes on in a major overhaul.

[Borderland]

The one bright spot is, since the ship was in overhaul, there wasn't any ordnance on board. It can take a lot to sink a ship. What really does the damage are secondary explosions from ordnance and fuel stores.

There's two navy bases here. One's a shipyard and maintenance facility. They offload all munitions before they enter Puget Sound. The storage site is an island at the entrance to Puget sound. I did some work on that island back in the 70's. It's a very interesting place with more wildlife than just about any island around here. I used to pick up oysters on the beach during lunch.


https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrnw/installations/naval_magazine_indian_island.html

[Malamute]

At sea, with full damage control capabilities and manning, the fire either wouldn't have happened or it would have been knocked down in very short order. I suspect that this is a problem with the crap that goes on in a major overhaul.


One of the news bits I read mentioned that the fire suppression systems were down due to work being done on them.


https://www.google.com/search?ei=rD4PX4OYGofI0PEPrOK0sAw&q=Bonhomme+Richard+fire+suppression+systems+turned +off&oq=Bonhomme+Richard+fire+suppression+systems+turne d+off&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIFCCEQqwI6BAgAEEc6BAgAEAM6Bgg AEBYQHjoFCCEQoAE6BwghEAoQoAFQ6w9YvVRgvGJoAHABeACAA cABiAGcHZIBBTE1LjIxmAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpeg&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwiDnsrw5c_qAhUHJDQIHSwxDcYQ4dUDCAw&uact=5

[rcbusmc24]

The inability to set Zebra ( Material condition Zebra is set during general quarters, ship-wide casualties, when entering and leaving port during wartime, or anytime the ship is in danger against fire, flooding and other damage. All doors labeled with a black X, black Y, or red Z should remain closed) due to cable runs, ventilators, hoses and unfortunately probably a little laziness while in port had to have had much to do with this fire getting to the size that it did. Making my Marines understand what material conditions settings mean and that they are not optional or only when convenient for you things is at times hard to get understood, even by some of the officers....

In port, during a maintenance cycle, with a small duty section, I am confident in my assessment that it was almost/ impossible for the damage control parties to get to the lower decks fast enough to get the condition set and checked if it was not already.... a ship with the hatches open functions almost like a vacuum, as they are pressurized, The air will suck up and out drawing the fire upwards.... We have to teach our guys to be very careful with the exterior hatches as they will smash hands and faces hard if not careful when accessing them due to the pressure built up inside the ship...

While I acknowledge that I am armchair quarterbacking this I would bet money that six part duty sections on board naval vessels has just gone the way of the dodo, along with easy weekend watches, they will be running aggressive DC drills at all hours across the fleet soon, if they haven't already started...

Loss of this ship is of particular concern to me as it had a Well Deck, the new big deck amphibs coming online do not..... So any MEU going out on it just lost well deck hours, meaning time, during a landing, cross deck just got harder. as well... anything moving to the new ships has to come by air, that's hard to do with heavy or bulky stuff...

[Suvorov]

Loss of this ship is of particular concern to me as it had a Well Deck, the new big deck amphibs coming online do not..... So any MEU going out on it just lost well deck hours, meaning time, during a landing, cross deck just got harder. as well... anything moving to the new ships has to come by air, that's hard to do with heavy or bulky stuff...

It must be the ground pounder in me but I'm really having a hard time understanding the desire to move to carriers without well decks. Too me big carriers like this represent the ultimate in force projection as they are able to launch massive amphibious landings and air strikes at the same time. How will large amphibious landing be conducted with the smaller ships? Are they going to airlift everyone in on Ospreys? Do they lower AMTRAKs off the sides?

I can bet that Chairman Pooh is quite pleased with this. :(

[TGS]

It must be the ground pounder in me but I'm really having a hard time understanding the desire to move to carriers without well decks. Too me big carriers like this represent the ultimate in force projection as they are able to launch massive amphibious landings and air strikes at the same time. How will large amphibious landing be conducted with the smaller ships? Are they going to airlift everyone in on Ospreys? Do they lower AMTRAKs off the sides?

I can bet that Chairman Pooh is quite pleased with this. :(

As planned, 9 of the America Class will have well decks, 2 of them won't. Those two are purposed to be used more in the vein of a light carrier with helicopter assault capabilties given 21st century operations/needs, not to haul a traditional MEU around. It's not that they're smaller ships, is just that they carry more jets and no amphibious assault vehicles.

The MEUs will still be floating around on gators, albeit with a different TO&E and different focus (no tanks, lots of rocket launchers, etc).

[Stephanie B]

It's almost impossible to set any sort of integrity in port during a maintenance availability. There are hoses and leads going through the doors and hatches all over the ship.

[HCM]

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/07/video-at-least-7-iranian-ships-on-fire-latest-in-pattern-of-unexplained-fires/?utm_source=smartnews&fbclid=IwAR0h0zknmYjHPW1ZtgB35xOKl_Sn9AP6zE64jpy79 fWTStCeSJJfmyzpF7k

Video: At least 7 Iranian ships on fire; latest in pattern of unexplained fires


At least seven ships were on fire at the Iranian port of Bushehr Wednesday.

The news of the ship fires was first reported by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, and later reported by Reuters. Initial reports indicated three ships were on fire at the Iranian port, but updated reporting indicated the fire had spread to at least seven ships. The ship fires in Iran follow a pattern of unexplained explosions and fires at Iranian military and industrial facilities in recent weeks.

“Several ships are on fire in the port of Bushar, southern #Iran,” tweeted Walla News foreign affairs editor Guy Elster, with video of efforts to put out a fire on a burning vessel.

[Malamute]

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/07/video-at-least-7-iranian-ships-on-fire-latest-in-pattern-of-unexplained-fires/?utm_source=smartnews&fbclid=IwAR0h0zknmYjHPW1ZtgB35xOKl_Sn9AP6zE64jpy79 fWTStCeSJJfmyzpF7k

Video: At least 7 Iranian ships on fire; latest in pattern of unexplained fires


So, why are most of their fire crews wearing street clothes and have no protective gear besides c19 masks? Think there was maybe 2 real masks and 2 or 3 helmets and coats in evidence on the crews.

[TGS]

So, why are most of their fire crews wearing street clothes and have no protective gear besides c19 masks? Think there was maybe 2 real masks and 2 or 3 helmets and coats in evidence on the crews.

All the issues of lack of training, lack of proper equipment and response networks, etc can probably be diluted down to the idea of "inshallah". Whether you get injured from smoke inhalation, burns, etc is not a function of any action you take/fail to take, but rather whether god wills it. Contextual to a topic more related to the forum and how that concept plays out, we're talking about a general culture where aiming a gun at someone and shooting them is unjustified murder regardless of whether you were acting in self-defense, but shooting a gun at someone over trivial disputes without aiming and killing them is fine (the former you purposely circumvented the will of god to kill them, the latter Allah decided it was their time). I say general culture, as not all Muslim countries or Muslims function that way, but it's definitely a thing "over there".

[JRB]

All the issues of lack of training, lack of proper equipment and response networks, etc can probably be diluted down to the idea of "inshallah". Whether you get injured from smoke inhalation, burns, etc is not a function of any action you take/fail to take, but rather whether god wills it. Contextual to a topic more related to the forum and how that concept plays out, we're talking about a general culture where aiming a gun at someone and shooting them is unjustified murder regardless of whether you were acting in self-defense, but shooting a gun at someone over trivial disputes without aiming and killing them is fine (the former you purposely circumvented the will of god to kill them, the latter Allah decided it was their time). I say general culture, as not all Muslim countries or Muslims function that way, but it's definitely a thing "over there".

This is exactly what I was going to post. The Iranian Navy in particular is very disorganized and inconsistent in all things, even on basic seamanship/navigational sorts of tasks, nevermind things like damage control.

[LittleLebowski]

Lots of pics from the inside here:

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1283649559101571072.html?refreshed=yes

[LittleLebowski]

57466

[LittleLebowski]

Reports that a sailor is being investigated for possible arson in relation to the fire...

https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/sources-sailor-possibly-linked-to-uss-bonhomme-richard-ship-fire-under-investigation

[Stephanie B]

^^^^^ Color me shocked. {/sarc}

[DpdG]

Sadly there is precedent. The USS Miami was lost to a shipyard painter who wanted to bag out early and started a fire in a bunk room.

[JRB]

Personally, I'd be 100% on board with charging them with not just arson, but treason.

[LittleLebowski]

The Navy is scrapping it.

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/30/navy-will-scrap-uss-bonhomme-richard

[Lester Polfus]

The Navy is scrapping it.

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/30/navy-will-scrap-uss-bonhomme-richard

I should have been more vocal with my prediction that 1) they would scrap it and 2) would announce it around the holi-daze when folks were otherwise distracted.

[CleverNickname]

Hopefully they re-use the name sooner rather than later.

[0ddl0t]

I should have been more vocal with my prediction that 1) they would scrap it and 2) would announce it around the holi-daze when folks were otherwise distracted.

Looks like they've been in the process of scrapping it for 3 months:
Ver Hage said harvesting of some systems has been happening since September and will continue.

[CakeEater]

Reports that a sailor is being investigated for possible arson in relation to the fire...

https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/sources-sailor-possibly-linked-to-uss-bonhomme-richard-ship-fire-under-investigation

Late to the party...this was the first ship I got to do work ups on after it was commissioned. 23 hrs later I was able to retire and I’ll I’ve got to say is F*ck 2020 and hope they hang whatever piece of $hit responsible.

[Stephanie B]

The Navy is scrapping it.

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/30/navy-will-scrap-uss-bonhomme-richard

They mentioned the option of converting it to a destroyer or submarine tender. I didn’t know the Navy was thinking of building them again.

I’ve been of the opinion that whosoever made the decision to scrap the tender fleet should have been shot.

[LittleLebowski]

Arson charges for a sailor.

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/29/navy-charges-bonhomme-richard-sailor-in-devastating-2020-fire-of-amphibious-assault-ship


On July 29, charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice were brought forth against a Navy Sailor in response to evidence found during the criminal investigation into the fire started on USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) on July 12, 2020. Evidence collected during the investigation is sufficient to direct a preliminary hearing in accordance with due process under the military justice system. The Sailor was a member of Bonhomme Richard’s crew at the time and is accused of starting the fire.

Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet is considering court-martial charges and has directed a preliminary hearing at which an impartial hearing officer will make determinations and recommendations required by the UCMJ prior to any further trial proceedings – including whether or not there is probable cause to believe an offense has been committed and to offer a recommendation as to the disposition of the case.

[Borderland]

Arson charges for a sailor.

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/29/navy-charges-bonhomme-richard-sailor-in-devastating-2020-fire-of-amphibious-assault-ship

He'll get to know the brig Marines real well before he gets discharged. He just shipped over for 20.

[Stephanie B]

Arson charges for a sailor.

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/29/navy-charges-bonhomme-richard-sailor-in-devastating-2020-fire-of-amphibious-assault-ship

I’ll wait to see the proof. Pinning the blame on a junior sailor isn’t unknown in the surface Navy.

[TDA]

I’ll wait to see the proof. Pinning the blame on a junior sailor isn’t unknown in the surface Navy.

It sounds thin so far: https://news.yahoo.com/us-sailor-allegedly-set-billion-205311321.html

[peterb]

WASHINGTON — A Navy report has concluded there were sweeping failures by commanders, crew members and others that fueled the July 2020 arson fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard, calling the massive five-day blaze in San Diego preventable and unacceptable.

While one sailor has been charged with setting the fire, the more than 400-page report, obtained by The Associated Press, lists three dozen officers and sailors whose failings either directly led to the ship's loss or contributed to it. The findings detailed widespread lapses in training, coordination, communication, fire preparedness, equipment maintenance and overall command and control.
...
Specifically, the report said failures of Vice Adm. Brown; Rear Adm. Scott Brown, the fleet maintenance officer for the Pacific Fleet; Rear Adm. William Greene, the fleet maintenance officer for U.S. Fleet Forces Command; Rear. Adm. Eric Ver Hage, commander of the regional maintenance center; Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar, commander of Navy Region Southwest; Capt. Mark Nieswiadomy, commander of Naval Base San Diego; and Capt. Tony Rodriguez, commander of Amphibious Squadron 5, all "contributed to the loss of the ship."

The report also directly faults the ship's three top officers — Capt. Gregory Thoroman, the commanding officer; Capt. Michael Ray, the executive officer; and Command Master Chief Jose Hernandez — for not effectively ensuring the readiness and condition of the ship.

"The execution of his duties created an environment of poor training, maintenance and operational standards that directly led to the loss of the ship," the report said of Thoroman. And it said Ray, Hernandez and Capt. David Hart, commander of the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, also failed in their responsibilities, which directly led to the loss of the ship.

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/19/1047428110/the-navy-finds-major-failures-starting-with-top-officers-in-a-devastating-ship-f

[TGS]

I'd be interested to hear informed opposing viewpoints to the Navy report.

The cat's out of the bag about the Navy chronically understaffing ships to the point that it's physically impossible to hit all the required wickets.

So, it seems blatantly obvious to me that blaming everyone in the chain of command from top-to-bottom is deflecting blame from the fact that everyone is set up to fail...it's a "pray and rotate" situation, i.e. pray that nothing happens and do what you can until you rotate out to the next assignment. There's no way you can convince me that every single officer in that boat's command and support structure were negligent due to factors actually in their realistic span of control.

[Bergeron]

The cat's out of the bag about the Navy chronically understaffing ships to the point that it's physically impossible to hit all the required wickets.

There's no way you can convince me that every single officer in that boat's command and support structure were negligent due to factors actually in their realistic span of control.

Sincere question: What needs to happen to the Navy, with whose authority, to fix the staffing, maintenance, and warship-skills deficiencies?

[TGS]

Sincere question: What needs to happen to the Navy, with whose authority, to fix the staffing, maintenance, and warship-skills deficiencies?

No idea. I mean, if blaming everyone in the chain of command all the way up to Admirals doesn't cause them to make changes, I don't think anything short of Yezhovschina would fix that organization. If you're blaming the entire chain of command, it's quite literally an institutional issue, not a personal leadership one, which is why I think this is so embarrassing.

[Joe in PNG]

Hopefully we'll get a new Admiral Fisher, but those are rare.

[JohnO]

Hopefully we'll get a new Admiral Fisher, but those are rare.

Well we got a new 4 star, Admiral Levine.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_1824.jpg

[Stephanie B]

Well we got a new 4 star, Admiral Levine.

ADM Levine is in the Public Health Service, not the Navy.

My suspicion is that you know that, and you're just trying to be an {deleted} and succeeding admirably.

[Stephanie B]

No idea. I mean, if blaming everyone in the chain of command all the way up to Admirals doesn't cause them to make changes, I don't think anything short of Yezhovschina would fix that organization. If you're blaming the entire chain of command, it's quite literally an institutional issue, not a personal leadership one, which is why I think this is so embarrassing.

My limited understanding of things is that Navy maintenance has, over the decades, gone from ship's force and tenders to mainly contractors doing the work. Even during overhauls, back in the day, ship's force did a lot of the work.

Now, maybe not so much. From the photos that I've seen in recent years, the Navy is tolerating conditions that, a few decades ago, would have gotten people fired.

This was a photo of an amphib that was sent out by a PAO:

78754

Back in the day. the CO and First Lieutenant of that ship would have been mortified at so much running rust. The ship and her crew would have been the joke of the waterfront.

Times have changed.

[Bergeron]

I was only ever, and only briefly, civilian Navy, and my responsibilities were never ship-borne. It still kills me to see all the rust on all the ships. We should be better than this.

[JohnO]

ADM Levine is in the Public Health Service, not the Navy.

My suspicion is that you know that, and you're just trying to be an {deleted} and succeeding admirably.

Yes Admiral of:

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/603a3795-8607-4fa7-8858-7e0e9174f5be/d1hn2vd-1377752f-044b-41b8-9f58-72a25e8ffcdc.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_450,q_75,strp/the_good_ship_lollipop_by_garnetwings.jpg?token=ey J0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJ1cm4 6YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwI iwic3ViIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ 0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZ S5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl0sIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi82MDN hMzc5NS04NjA3LTRmYTctODg1OC03ZTBlOTE3NGY1YmUvZDFob jJ2ZC0xMzc3NzUyZi0wNDRiLTQxYjgtOWY1OC03MmEyNWU4ZmZ jZGMuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTYwMCIsImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9N DUwIn1dXX0.fJAyAeN08-JIs9eAC1VWsoyjBI8Tv52K05l97-ECd7A

[Stephanie B]

The cat's out of the bag about the Navy chronically understaffing ships to the point that it's physically impossible to hit all the required wickets.

Understaffing. Cutting training. The surface Navy has been a floating shit show since not long after the GWOT got going.

[Stephanie B]

ADM Levine is in the Public Health Service, not the Navy.

My suspicion is that you know that, and you're just trying to be an {deleted} and succeeding admirably.


Yes Admiral of:

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/603a3795-8607-4fa7-8858-7e0e9174f5be/d1hn2vd-1377752f-044b-41b8-9f58-72a25e8ffcdc.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_450,q_75,strp/the_good_ship_lollipop_by_garnetwings.jpg?token=ey J0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJ1cm4 6YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwI iwic3ViIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ 0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZ S5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl0sIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi82MDN hMzc5NS04NjA3LTRmYTctODg1OC03ZTBlOTE3NGY1YmUvZDFob jJ2ZC0xMzc3NzUyZi0wNDRiLTQxYjgtOWY1OC03MmEyNWU4ZmZ jZGMuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTYwMCIsImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9N DUwIn1dXX0.fJAyAeN08-JIs9eAC1VWsoyjBI8Tv52K05l97-ECd7A

Suspicion confirmed.

[Bergeron]

The author of the Commander Salamander blog posted his analysis of the Sam Lagrone and Gidget Fuentes report on the fire and subsequent Command Investigation, linked below:

BonHomme Richard Fire: A Multi Billion Dollar Leadership Failure (https://blog.usni.org/posts/2021/10/20/bonhomme-richard-fire-a-multi-billion-dollar-leadership-failure)

An excerpt from the Command Investigation:


507. Between 26 March 2019 and 24 March 2020, BONHOMME RICHARD conducted 25 training evolutions for DCTT. , BONHOMME RICHARD DCTT Coordinator, participated in 9 of 25 training events. Records do not show CHENG participating in any of these 25 evolutions. Records show the BONHOMME RICHARD XO was designated as the DCTT Leader; but he did not participate in any of the 7 DCTT training events occurring after he reported aboard 12 November 2019. … 518. Use of AFFF in response to a fire had not been drilled for over a year and were neither drilled nor simulated after AFFF stations 3 and 4 were brought to an increased state of readiness in April 2020 to support fuel onload. … 520. BONHOMME RICHARD IETs failed 11 consecutive RE-03 fire drills from 28 December 2019 – 22 February 2020, with no indication of additional remediation drills being scheduled or executed. … 524. The BONHOMME RICHARD CHENG stated that he did not receive any reports on training effectiveness nor did he receive any training critiques. Training critiques were routed from duty sections straight to the XO and CO. [Encl 219] 525. The BONHOMME RICHARD CO and XO were not aware of any specific issues with IET drills nor that BONHOMME RICHARD IETs failed 11 consecutive RE-03 fire drills between 28 December 2019 and 22 February 2020. … 535. Several BONHOMME RICHARD Sailors reported they had not participated in egress or EBD training since they had checked onboard, with some asserting they had never received EEBD training.

There is quite a bit more. To quote Commander Salamander:


If training, drilling, and preparing for the greatest danger in a shipyard – fire – was not a training priority, then what was? Of the time invested in training in the last, let’s say 90-days, what were the topics? How much time?

What series of incentives and disincentives – and the priorities they produce – brought this ship, its crew, and the brave firefighting crews ashore and from other ships and even helo squadrons together the summer of 2020

What were they investing their time in, and why?

[LittleLebowski]

My limited understanding of things is that Navy maintenance has, over the decades, gone from ship's force and tenders to mainly contractors doing the work. Even during overhauls, back in the day, ship's force did a lot of the work.

Now, maybe not so much. From the photos that I've seen in recent years, the Navy is tolerating conditions that, a few decades ago, would have gotten people fired.

This was a photo of an amphib that was sent out by a PAO:

78754

Back in the day. the CO and First Lieutenant of that ship would have been mortified at so much running rust. The ship and her crew would have been the joke of the waterfront.

Times have changed.

I saw easily that much rust on the USS Essex on her second pump in 1996. It was usually painted over.

[LittleLebowski]

I’m not even trying to be snarky when I say I am certain these under-trained sailors were up to date on their SHARP training.

A $2 billion US Navy warship went up in flames in part because sailors failed to press a button, investigation finds (https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-warship-destroyed-fire-sailors-failure-to-press-button-2021-10)





The AFFF system could have been easily and effectively activated with the push of a button, but, as the report explained, "the button was never pushed and no member of the crew interviewed considered this action or had specific knowledge as to the location of the button or its function."

The Washington Examiner first reported the failure of Bonhomme Richard sailors to employ the push-button AFFF system.

"It is surprising that nobody on scene knew how to activate the system or was familiar enough with it to activate it," Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer and defense expert at the Hudson Institute, told Insider. "It's been around a long time."

Clark said that from a command perspective, the inability of the crew to use this system is "a huge oversight," explaining that AFFF is "your go-to backup firefighting system."

[Dog Guy]

A bit of a necro, but this is interesting. An unclear chain of command and uncertainty about who was in charge. Why does this sound familiar? https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2022/07/05/new-details-emerge-about-the-2020-bonhomme-richard-fire-ahead-of-censure-of-three-star/

"WASHINGTON — The initial response to the July 2020 fire that destroyed the multibillion-dollar amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard was uncoordinated and hampered by confusion as to which admiral should cobble together Navy and civilian firefighters, according to new information from the then-head of Naval Surface Forces.

The discombobulation in those early hours meant sailors may have missed a small window to contain the fire in a storage area. One admiral who said he lacked authority to issue an order pleaded with the ship’s commanding officer to get back on the ship and fight the fire, when the CO and his crew were waiting on the pier. And when that admiral — now-retired Vice Adm. Rich Brown — found the situation so dire that he called on other another command to intervene, it refused, Brown said in an interview."

[TGS]

A bit of a necro, but this is interesting. An unclear chain of command and uncertainty about who was in charge. Why does this sound familiar? https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2022/07/05/new-details-emerge-about-the-2020-bonhomme-richard-fire-ahead-of-censure-of-three-star/

"WASHINGTON — The initial response to the July 2020 fire that destroyed the multibillion-dollar amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard was uncoordinated and hampered by confusion as to which admiral should cobble together Navy and civilian firefighters, according to new information from the then-head of Naval Surface Forces.

The discombobulation in those early hours meant sailors may have missed a small window to contain the fire in a storage area. One admiral who said he lacked authority to issue an order pleaded with the ship’s commanding officer to get back on the ship and fight the fire, when the CO and his crew were waiting on the pier. And when that admiral — now-retired Vice Adm. Rich Brown — found the situation so dire that he called on other another command to intervene, it refused, Brown said in an interview."

That's the most Navy thing I've read this century.

[Bergeron]

The Commander Salamander blog has a great write-up on this topic:

http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/2022/07/vadm-brown-remembering-johnstons-turn.html

[OlongJohnson]

One admiral who said he lacked authority to issue an order pleaded with the ship’s commanding officer to get back on the ship and fight the fire, when the CO and his crew were waiting on the pier. And when that admiral — now-retired Vice Adm. Rich Brown — found the situation so dire that he called on other another command to intervene, it refused, Brown said in an interview."

Maybe he could get a job as a school district PD chief.

[Stephanie B]

A bit of a necro, but this is interesting. An unclear chain of command and uncertainty about who was in charge. Why does this sound familiar? https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2022/07/05/new-details-emerge-about-the-2020-bonhomme-richard-fire-ahead-of-censure-of-three-star/

"WASHINGTON — The initial response to the July 2020 fire that destroyed the multibillion-dollar amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard was uncoordinated and hampered by confusion as to which admiral should cobble together Navy and civilian firefighters, according to new information from the then-head of Naval Surface Forces.

The discombobulation in those early hours meant sailors may have missed a small window to contain the fire in a storage area. One admiral who said he lacked authority to issue an order pleaded with the ship’s commanding officer to get back on the ship and fight the fire, when the CO and his crew were waiting on the pier. And when that admiral — now-retired Vice Adm. Rich Brown — found the situation so dire that he called on other another command to intervene, it refused, Brown said in an interview."

What a Chinese fire drill!

[randyho]

The lack of accountability is stunning.

[ccmdfd]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/15/politics/navy-uss-bonhomme-richard-punishments/index.html

(CNN)The US Navy punished more than 20 sailors for the four-day fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard as the amphibious warship sat at port in San Diego in July 2020, the Navy announced Friday.

The most serious actions focused on the leadership of the warship and the fire response team. The ship's former commanding officer, Capt. Gregory Scott Thoroman, and former executive officer, Capt. Michael Ray, received punitive letters of reprimand and forfeiture of pay. The former command master chief, Jose Hernandez, received a punitive letter of reprimand.

.......(full article at link)

[rainman]

Sailor found not guilty...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/u-s-sailor-found-not-guilty-of-fire-that-destroyed-ship/ar-AA12sghM?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=2bbedeb4c1c24441bf4200e53f3e771e


-Rainman