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

[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:

Attachment 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

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/20...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/20...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/20...tons-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/20...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/polit...nts/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-...4200e53f3e771e


-Rainman