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Ship's on fire, yo (USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego. Live video)

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2 hours ago, Reagan1k said:

From San Diego paper quoting their sources including Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3

Also - according to Navy Times, only 160 of the 1000 man crew were on board at the time of the fire and many of those were overseeing contractors as the ship was under maintenance/construction work including upgrades to the flight deck.

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clapclapclap

clapclapclap 9,000

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/navy-officials-fear-uss-bonhomme-richard-fire-has-damaged-it-beyond-repair-11594677325

Navy Officials Fear USS Bonhomme Richard Fire Has Damaged It Beyond Repair 

The fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard showed no sign of abating Monday, raising fears that one of the few U.S. Navy ships that can operate like a mini aircraft carrier is damaged beyond repair. (snip)

 

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/07/13/the-bonhomme-richard-fire-deals-a-blow-to-the-navys-designs-in-the-indo-pacific/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Navy DNR 7.13.20&utm_term=Editorial - Navy - Daily News Roundup

The Bonhomme Richard fire deals a blow to the Navy’s designs in the Indo-Pacific

The amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, which burned through the night while in port in San Diego, was at the tail end of two years of upgrades supporting the integration of the F-35B, according to Navy documents, meaning the Navy will now have fewer options to deploy the next-generation fighter in the Pacific.

The Navy awarded the $219 million modernization contract to General Dynamics, National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. in 2018, which had options for up to $250 million. Bonhomme Richard is one of four large-deck amphibs to have received the upgrades. The Boxer was announced earlier this year as the fifth big-deck to get the upgrades.

Experts said the loss of Bonhomme Richard, whether a total loss or just lost for extensive repairs, deals a significant blow to the Navy’s plans to have F-35Bs continually deployed in the Pacific. And with Monday’s announcement that the US had formally rejected China’s claims, any accompanying boost in naval presence could be impacted by the fire.

The Navy’s deployment model is based on having permanent forward presence in vital regions like the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East. To accomplish that, the Navy needs enough ships to support one forward on deployment, one in an elevated status of readiness to surge in an emergency, one in maintenance and one in pre-deployment workups.

In other words, in an ideal world the Navy would have at least four ships to have one of them always on deployment, and with longer overhauls such as the F-35B upgrades it can be more like five ships to make one forward. (snip)

 

 

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DaggerHorns

DaggerHorns 3,100

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From my “inside sources”

“An electrical fire in an emergency generator. It was way too large to fight when it was discovered. I drove by today and the mast has collapsed and the superstructure is beginning to fall into the flight deck. The whole thing is just melting. Today they abandoned efforts. They are just going to let us burn to the ground. Right now they are trying to figure out how to get it out to sea because there is about half a million gallons of fuel on board.”

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89,822

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55 minutes ago, Captainant said:

I wonder what those dock workers must be going through in security debriefing. The loss of that vessel is a considerable blow to US naval force projection

The world always needs dock workers who are only allowed to pick up lunch and coffee for everybody else.

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Blotto

Blotto 23,584

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If they cant contain this fire when it started while docked in a naval shipyard, I'm guessing that same fire would be no bueno while out at sea. 

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The Navy’s deployment model is based on having permanent forward presence in vital regions like the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East. To accomplish that, the Navy needs enough ships to support one forward on deployment, one in an elevated status of readiness to surge in an emergency, one in maintenance and one in pre-deployment workups.

In other words, in an ideal world the Navy would have at least four ships to have one of them always on deployment, and with longer overhauls such as the F-35B upgrades it can be more like five ships to make one forward

 

I mean this cant be the norm in any other Navy can it? I sometimes wonder how we can spend so much more on our military than any other country, but its shit like this that explains it, I guess.

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InkaUtexas

InkaUtexas 26,167

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15 minutes ago, Blotto said:

If they cant contain this fire when it started while docked in a naval shipyard, I'm guessing that same fire would be no bueno while out at sea. 

I mean this cant be the norm in any other Navy can it? I sometimes wonder how we can spend so much more on our military than any other country, but its shit like this that explains it, I guess.

Shit, look at the Russians and their disasters. Also, doubt a contracting team of San Diego's finest (been to Chula Vista?) would be at sea repairing a flight deck. Someone fucked up or shit just happened. 

 

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89,822

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10 hours ago, Blotto said:

If they cant contain this fire when it started while docked in a naval shipyard, I'm guessing that same fire would be no bueno while out at sea. 

I mean this cant be the norm in any other Navy can it? I sometimes wonder how we can spend so much more on our military than any other country, but its shit like this that explains it, I guess.

Having been in the Army, I talk a lot of shit about the Navy, but honestly, they are second to none.  This was not a normal situation - they were refurbishing it, so chances are high that a lot of materials and what-not were in places they wouldn't normally be in.  Hatches were probably open throughout the ship.  Hell, for all we know, a lot of equipment could have been disconnected for maintenance/replacement that could have been used to fight the fire.  The contractors could have even been trying to fight it for a bit ("oops, we fucked up, we better try and get this put out before anybody finds out/things get bad") before calling in help and/or it became apparent to those outside of the ship.

Had the ship been fully staffed with all 1,000+ sailors and Marines, if a fire breaks out, you can bet they would have been all over it from the start.

For reference, the Russian Navy has to have a fucking big-ass tugboat following their sole "operational" aircraft carrier around.

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blacklab

blacklab 11,955

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yeah, shipyard is way different that out at sea in a battle situation.

everything atom heart said as well as welding equipment, hoses running through doors that can't be closed, firefighting systems off line, etc.

I'd bet out at sea they could flood that compartment and put out the fire quick

 

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A ship is never more vulnerable than when it's in drydock. More civilian workers than crew onboard. The crew that is on watch are in a relaxed state because, hey... we're in drydock. Systems are disabled, WTD are open with welding cables strung down the passageway and as you mentioned trash is laying around everywhere. I agree if this happened underway it would have been put out fast or never even happened at all.

The holes in the deck might look bad. I wonder if the superstructure is aluminum?

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1 minute ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Why can't they do what Red Adair used to do with oil well fires and just set off a big ass explosion below deck that just sucks all the oxygen up and extinguishes the fire

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10 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Why can't they do what Red Adair used to do with oil well fires and just set off a big ass explosion below deck that just sucks all the oxygen up and extinguishes the fire

damage the integrity of the hull( already a risk with current situation) and the EPA justifiably would not be pleased, along with the public in general.

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ABSR

ABSR 5,325

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45 minutes ago, blacklab said:

yeah, shipyard is way different that out at sea in a battle situation.

everything atom heart said as well as welding equipment, hoses running through doors that can't be closed, firefighting systems off line, etc.

I'd bet out at sea they could flood that compartment and put out the fire quick

 

Yep.  At sea you have a full crew trained for fighting emergencies.  As it was an engineering space they would have had halon systems that would have been activated once the compartment was evacuated and secured that would have deprived the fire of oxygen and put it out....or fire parties would have been mustered and sent in to combat it very quickly.  

Nothing worse than a fire at sea.  Die of smoke inhalation, burn to death, or drown.   A crew trains very hard and long to be able to deal with that, but in a ship yard the crew is thin with people being sent to training schools, taking time off, etc.  They are on shore power and services too so the engineering crew aren't manning those spaces and it is possible the crew was removed and was put in shore housing (versus many living on the ship) depending on if it was a full ship yard period.

It is likely they had 10% - 25% of their crew and every space/door was propped open, junk, supplies etc everywhere and contractors doing who knows what while in the ship yard.

Captain will still get replaced once the dust settles, regardless of if he/she could have made a difference.  Definitely non-career enhancing.

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FartingMonk

FartingMonk 3,608

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First 30 seconds of a fire are probably the most critical.  If you can't get the fire under control by minute 5 you might as well kiss your ass goodbye.  When the ship is underway most compartments especially engineering is going to be manned.  Your rapid response team can get there fast.  This fire could have gone on for quite a bit before anyone noticed.  Probably started because some crew member or shipyard worker was too lazy to go topside to light a cigarette

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MadBurgerMaker

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2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

For reference, the Russian Navy has to have a fucking big-ass tugboat following their sole "operational" aircraft carrier around.

I don't think they can even do that right now.  That floating tire fire carrier had the one drydock that could hold it sink underneath it and cause a bunch of damage in the process.  Like, a bigass crane dropped on the deck, killed some workers, etc.  Pretty sure they were building a new drydock to replace it, but I'm not sure what the status of that is.

 

E:  Damn, they also had a big fire on board a year later.

Edited by MadBurgerMaker
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Captainant

Captainant 27,824

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https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/07/22/the-us-navys-top-officer-reveals-grim-details-of-the-damage-to-bonhomme-richard/

“There is fire and water damage, to varying degrees, on 11 of 14 decks,” Gilday wrote. “With the flight deck as a reference, I walked sections of the ship 5 levels below and had the opportunity to examine the superstructure.

“The island is nearly gutted, as are sections of some of the decks below; some perhaps, nearly encompassing the 844 ft length and 106 ft beam of the ship ([Naval Sea System Command’s] detailed assessment is ongoing). Sections of the flight deck are warped/bulging.”

“While response from the crew and federal firefighters was rapid, preliminary reports indicate there were two main factors that contributed to the intensity, scope, and speed of the fire,” Gilday wrote. “First was wind that fueled the fire as the vehicle storage area leads to the well deck, which opens to the air at the stern gate. The second were the explosions, one in particular, reportedly heard about 13 miles away.

“The explosions, some were intense, and the uncertainty of their location and timing, led to a situation, that might have been under control late Sunday night, but expanded into a mass conflagration, spreading quickly up elevator shafts, engine exhaust stacks, and through berthing and other compartments where combustible material was present.”

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Captainant

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New news - arson investigation underway. Hell of a price tag on the damage caused

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

Quote

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- A Navy sailor is under investigation in connection with the fire that caused extensive damage to the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego, sources told ABC 10News.

Multiple sources with close ties to Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) told ABC 10News that investigators determined the July 12 fire may have been set intentionally. Investigators identified a sailor as an arson suspect in their probe, sources said.

The sources added multiple search warrants were executed at the sailor’s home and property. The sailor’s name and rank were not disclosed.

 

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NAVY

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+ 1 on maintenance cycles/ship yards/dry docks being super vulnerable periods. God what a freaking mess. Dust, shit and flammables everywhere. 

I'm a little surprised that the Bonhomme Richard fire was on pier 2 32nd street Naval Station SD. That pier sits right in front of the fleet and base command buildings. Pier 2 was kinda high profile and ships only tied up there after winning a battle E or some shit. If you fucked something up... off to pier 7 with you. 

Deeper maintenance cycles take place at the yards and dry docks north of 32nd street. 

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OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys

OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys 2,098

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man that's fucked up.  arson on a fucking aircraft carrier?  

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On 30 November 2020, Navy officials said that attempting to repair the damage and return Bonhomme Richard to service would take between five and seven years and cost an estimated $2.5 billion to $3.2 billion.

i wonder if that is most expensive arson ever.

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Nice Guy Eddie

Nice Guy Eddie 13,528

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The investigation into the USS Iowa explosion in '89 and how the Navy attempted to pin it on a dead sailor with questionable evidence, clouds my thoughts on any similar case today. Obviously a major difference is that this suspect is alive and perhaps has given testimony to his guilt.

Regardless of how it started, I'm sure top officers don't want to answer questions how a single person can destroy a billion dollar vessel.

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Scheiss Meister

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10 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

The investigation into the USS Iowa explosion in '89 and how the Navy attempted to pin it on a dead sailor with questionable evidence, clouds my thoughts on any similar case today. Obviously a major difference is that this suspect is alive and perhaps has given testimony to his guilt.

Regardless of how it started, I'm sure top officers don't want to answer questions how a single person can destroy a billion dollar vessel.

There's a reason that naval service slang for "Move your ass, now!" is "Fire in the paint locker!"  Fire on a warship can get out of hand very quickly and, obviously, cause an insane amount of damage.  A small fire anywhere is trouble.

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1 hour ago, Scheiss Meister said:

There's a reason that naval service slang for "Move your ass, now!" is "Fire in the paint locker!"  Fire on a warship can get out of hand very quickly and, obviously, cause an insane amount of damage.  A small fire anywhere is trouble.

The only thing worse than fire on a surface ship is fire on a sub.

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