# USS Bonhomme Richard Fire



## classicT (Jul 14, 2020)

*USS Bonhomme Richard’s fire suppression system not operational as blaze destroys ship; 34 sailors injured

By CAITLIN M. KENNEY | STARS AND STRIPES
Published: July 13, 2020
*
WASHINGTON — A fire suppression system aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard was under maintenance and not operational when the devastating fire, believed to have originated in the cargo hold of the ship, broke out Sunday morning, a senior Navy officer said Monday.

As of Monday, 34 sailors and 23 civilians have been treated for minor injuries while firefighters battle the fire aboard the ship for a second day, said Lt. Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman with Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Of the 17 sailors who were hospitalized Sunday, five sailors have remained in the medical facility for observation and are in stable condition.

So far, minor injuries include heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation, according to Schwegman.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and the origin of an explosion that also occurred on the ship Sunday is still unknown, The Associated Press reported.

A fire was reported aboard the amphibious assault ship at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday while it was moored at the pier, said Mike Raney, a spokesman for Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. At the time of the fire about 160 sailors were on the ship, which was undergoing maintenance, according to Raney. The ship typically has a crew of about 1,000.

Navy officials believe the fire started in the cargo hold of the ship where supplies were being stored for the ship’s maintenance, Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, the commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3, told reporters Monday.

One of the ship’s fire suppression systems was not operational at the time of the fire because it was being worked on in the shipyard, forcing them to fight the fire with people and supplies from the pier and the shipyard, Sobeck said.

“For the last 24 hours, 400 sailors have been on board that ship to make sure that we make every effort to save that ship,” he said.

Firefighting operations continued aboard the ship through the night and three helicopters with water buckets were brought in to help. So far, more than 415 buckets of water have been dumped over the ship, Capt. Will Eastham, the commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 3, said Monday during a news conference. The helicopters are expected to work throughout Monday and into the evening.

“The fire has spread throughout the ship in varying stages,” Sobeck said, and Navy officials believe the roughly 1 million gallons of fuel aboard the ship is separated from the fire by two decks. The heat reaching the fuel remains a concern, but crews are working to keep the risk low, he said.

The ship is also listing due to the amount of water being used in the ship to put out the fire. Sobeck said personnel are working constantly to keep a balance.

Firefighters are encountering a lot of debris that has fallen as they combat the fire, such as scaffolding from the maintenance work, according to Sobeck. They must move compartment to compartment, assessing each one’s stability and temperatures are ranging as high as 1,000 degrees, he said.

“I feel absolutely hopeful because we got sailors doing the business of what they're trained, and they're professionals beyond belief,” Sobeck said.

Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, called the fire “a terrible tragedy.”

"We are grateful for the quick and immediate response of local, base, and shipboard firefighters aboard USS Bonhomme Richard. Our thoughts and prayers are with our [Bonhomme Richard] sailors, their families, and our emergency responders who continue to fight the fire. Godspeed," he said in a statement.

Two nearby ships, the USS Fitzgerald and the USS Russell, had to move away from the pier Sunday afternoon because of the fire. The USS Fitzgerald had just arrived in San Diego July 2, according to U.S. Naval Institute News, after undergoing more than two years of restoration and modernization following the deadly 2017 collision that killed seven sailors.


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## cda (Jul 14, 2020)

Yep sad,

I am guessing when in for maintenance most suppression systems are shut down???

Might just change??

Well, I guess they can use it for an expensive target practice???


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## classicT (Jul 14, 2020)

Let's take all the flammable material, put it in cardboard boxes, concentrate it and store it all in the same location, and deactivate the fire suppression system.

Oh, and just in case, let's take an already tight and difficult to traverse ship, add scaffolding and other obstructions while we have paint and other accelerants dispersed throughout the ship, scatter about some oily-rags, and have some periodic hot work as well. 

Whoops....who could of seen a massive fire breaking out?


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## cda (Jul 14, 2020)

Normally the Military is on top of prevention. 

Even though the ship was docked on the Navy base, it may have been more under the control of the rehab contractor?


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## ADAguy (Jul 14, 2020)

cda said:


> Normally the Military is on top of prevention.
> 
> Even though the ship was docked on the Navy base, it may have been more under the control of the rehab contractor?



Fire watch is typically a requirement of these type of projects. I can imagine that NCIS will be called in to investigate.


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## cda (Jul 14, 2020)

ADAguy said:


> Fire watch is typically a requirement of these type of projects. I can imagine that NCIS will be called in to investigate.



Only take 45 minutes to solve than!!!!!


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## linnrg (Jul 14, 2020)

OP said it was reported 8:30 am on a Sunday and "34 sailors and 23 civilians" but it does not say if they were on the ship at the time or were responders


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## cda (Jul 14, 2020)

Problem with the Military, they own you 24 hours a day.

So the military does not take a day off.


Most were on the ship. A few responders did get hurt, but out of hospital.


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## ADAguy (Aug 5, 2020)

first contract for services to NASSCO for 10 mil.


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## cda (Aug 5, 2020)

ADAguy said:


> first contract for services to NASSCO for 10 mil.




Well they are next door.


I still think use it for target practice


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## ADAguy (Aug 6, 2020)

Yes, and they did the initial work


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## cda (Aug 28, 2020)

Do you think he will get a retirement ???

Or how long he has to stay in to pay for the damage??




    Investigators are questioning a U.S. sailor considered an arson suspect in the fire that left the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard extensively damaged while moored at Naval Base San Diego in July, according to reports published Wednesday.


    No one has been charged and no motive has been discovered, according to The New York Times. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have focused on one sailor from the ship, according to a report Wednesday in the Times, which cited an unnamed Navy official.


    The Associated Press, citing an unnamed senior defense official, said Thursday that investigators are questioning a sailor considered a suspect.


    The fire started aboard the vessel on a Sunday morning and burned for four days. Wind and explosions spread and intensified the flames, causing extensive damage. Eleven of 14 decks were damaged by fire and water and the ship’s superstructure was nearly gutted, according to a July email from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday to admirals and master chiefs.


    The fire has clouded the warship’s future. Replacing the Bonhomme Richard could cost $4 billion, according to the AP, which cited defense analysts.


    A scant crew of 160 sailors, far from the full complement, were aboard the ship when the fire was reported around 8:30 a.m.

“The fire started in the lower vehicle storage area — six decks below the flight deck and near the middle of the ship — spreading aft, forward and up,” Gilday wrote in the email.

One of the ship’s fire suppression systems was down for maintenance, Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3, which includes the Bonhomme Richard, said at the time.

No one died in the fire, but 38 military and 23 civilian firefighters were treated for injuries such as heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. More than 400 sailors from 16 ships at the base fought the fire.

The investigation into the fire remains underway. A Navy official told U.S. Naval Institute News that the service didn’t “want anyone to jump to conclusions.”

   “We are going to be thorough and methodical,” the unnamed official said, according to USNI News.










						Sailor being investigated for arson after blaze aboard USS Bonhomme Richard, reports say
					

The investigation into the July fire remains underway. A Navy official told U.S. Naval Institute News that the service didn’t “want anyone to jump to conclusions.”




					www.stripes.com


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## rktect 1 (Aug 28, 2020)

Traitor.


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## e hilton (Aug 28, 2020)

Remember the turret explosion on the Iowa and how they tried to blame a queer sailor.  I think he was finally found innocent.


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## ADAguy (Aug 29, 2020)

rktect 1 said:


> Traitor.


Keel haul him


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