SpokaneMan
Veteran Member
Not sure, maybe. I was not ships company. I was squadron level. 80's and 90's.
BRKG Navy amphib ship on fire-San Diego
- Thread starter Peter
- Start date
Meadowlark
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Sad to say but that is probably a write off whose next destination is the scrappers yard. 
Sid Vicious
Veteran Member
Honestly after watching it burn most of the day, this ship is a write off. Easier to just queue up another LHD in a shipyard somewhere. Flight deck is toast (will never pass quals), superstructure is toast, god only knows how many thousands of miles of cabling is fried. Doesn't appear like anyone set Zebra (all hatches dogged and locked) inside before the duty section bailed. Which means the fire is just burning space after space; no fire breaks.
TLDR: Everything, above the hanger needs to be replaced.
TLDR: Everything, above the hanger needs to be replaced.
Sad to say but that is probably a write off whose next destination is the scrappers yard.
They'll have to asses the cost to repair versus the cost to replace?
It's a shame they just spent millions overhauling it.
ShadowMan
Designated Grumpy Old Fart
It's a little strange that this would start on a Sunday. There usually would not be any major maintenance or repairs being done in a weekend with only a duty section on board. And no civilian yardbirds aboard either. Sure hope someone didn't do something stupid they shouldn't have. At least all the crew is accounted for. However that ship ain't going to be going anywhere for some time now, if ever again. Sad.
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TxGal
Day by day
DH was in 1974-77 on an AFS-1, the USS Mars. Ships look very similar :-)Back in the day I was on an AE. Think an AO is a floating bomb? AE is an ammunition supply ship.
We had a major fire, at sea (fully loaded). Still not sure how I am here to comment today.
USS Nitro (AE-23) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
DryCreek
Veteran Member
Very time we were in refit they worked 24/7. Especially in a Navy shipyard. When we did our PSA at NNSB&DD Co. there were quiet times during the weekends and holidays, but usually something was going on.
Nothing suck worse than a belowdeck fire. Of all the DC calls to answer, that was one we always dreaded. On an SSN, all fires were below decks.
bw
Fringe Ranger
Sounds like they're channeling from the days of wooden ships.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Oh boy
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
Hmm Fun night coming.
Toxic smoke?
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Uh oh. I wonder if there's still ammo on board, maybe DU rounds? Burning DU could cause the shelter in place-inhalation hazard.
On a ship or boat the 2 most dangerous events is flooding and fire. because there are things that are difficult to fight once they start burning and lots of things that cause heat and sparks and lots of things that can burn.
From experience the most dangerous time is middle to post overhaul testing. Everyone is tired and done and there are lots of shipyard workers that just don’t give a crap. We had painters come on board with cans of paint, go around and paint stuff and just leave it and go home. We got to clean up after them every freakin day.
All those paint, rags, paper, and plastic if not removed every day would be there the next day when another shipyard worker would come in to finish weld repair.
We, because of the rates on the subs, were probably more on top of this stupid crap than the large surface ships.
This will drive a new wave of fire prevention, inspections and drills.
The crew will blame shipyard workers, who will blame the crew.
From experience the most dangerous time is middle to post overhaul testing. Everyone is tired and done and there are lots of shipyard workers that just don’t give a crap. We had painters come on board with cans of paint, go around and paint stuff and just leave it and go home. We got to clean up after them every freakin day.
All those paint, rags, paper, and plastic if not removed every day would be there the next day when another shipyard worker would come in to finish weld repair.
We, because of the rates on the subs, were probably more on top of this stupid crap than the large surface ships.
This will drive a new wave of fire prevention, inspections and drills.
The crew will blame shipyard workers, who will blame the crew.
straightstreet
Life is better in flip flops
Live: News conference/update on the fire
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=39sRT4_pvTs&feature=emb_logo
RT: live
RT: live
There was a large fire reported on a PLAN LHA a week or two ago....
Warm Wisconsin
Easy as 3.141592653589..
Based on the admiral’s comments at the latest press conference the ship isn’t a loss. Fire was contained to the front of the boat which is mostly offices and Non-ammo/fuel storage area
Yep, not a good day.
However since the ship is in a half billion dollar maintenance refit, I would be willing to bet that the person doing the welding as well as the firewatch were yardbirds and not ship's company. I could be wrong but I don't think so.
Also I believe a large part of this maintenance is to prep the ship to handle F35s.
These ships will then function as mini carriers that are capable of many different missions, but won't have the firepower of a carrier air wing.
Anyway, prepping for the F35s means a lot of work strengthening the deck to support the new planes. Probably a lot of new work on the hanger deck.
Sid Vicious
Veteran Member
Tour of the ship.
RT: 5:02
View: https://youtu.be/g63UWBnxbzg
Its built similar to the Nimitz carriers. as far as a hanger bay down the length of the ship. On the two ships I was on, hot work was ALWAYS was scheduled and monitored by military personnel.
RT: 5:02
Its built similar to the Nimitz carriers. as far as a hanger bay down the length of the ship. On the two ships I was on, hot work was ALWAYS was scheduled and monitored by military personnel.
energy_wave
Has No Life - Lives on TB
He was in around the McCain Viet Nam era Forrestal group and at Wake Island. I bought most of his vintage military items in auction a few years ago. Learned a lot about him while researching. He passed away months ago. He had a lot of F-4 items and photos. Ended up as a Master Sargent Marine Recruiter. I had a few other items from the Forrestal from another auction that the museum wanted. Just wondering.
Even people out in town around the base have been told to stay inside because of the smoke.
Bubble Head
Has No Life - Lives on TB
It is a toxic burn. Standard for Naval vessels.
Bubble Head
Has No Life - Lives on TB
So you were on the DD that was attacked in the Gulf Of Tonkin which triggered LBJ to massive escalate? Please tell me more.
SpokaneMan
Veteran Member
I have all the patches from all squadrons, and other merchandise from the "Forest Fire". In fact we were berthed in the 93 man berthing under 3 wire. That was were McStains 500lb bomb started the whole shit show. So many died. I still visualize the warped steel bulkheads from the heat of that terrible Navy day.
energy_wave
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Question is, how...where did it start and was it accidental or sabotage.
China?
Deep State?
BLM?
Who?
China?
Deep State?
BLM?
Who?
SmithJ
Veteran Member
Forbes is already blaming “lax safety practices”. So that must mean it was intentional......
www.forbes.com
A massive fire, likely caused by lax fire safety practices during pier-side maintenance, ravaged the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) on Sunday, one of America’s 10 big-deck amphibious assault ships. These vessels are intended to be an integral part in holding the line against a resurgent China, and the loss of this multibillion-dollar ship—which appears likely—will be felt throughout the fleet.
The fire, reported at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, was, seven hours later, still burning, and could yet burn for some time. The ship, undergoing maintenance in San Diego, had about 160 sailors aboard at the time of the incident. Eighteen have reportedly been sent to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
While the extent of the damage is unknown, the fire has been intense enough to buckle structural steel and melt the tires on vehicles parked on the flight deck. Given the extent of the damage, the ship will, at a minimum, be out of service for years, and may well be written off as a total loss.
Shipyard Fires Are Entirely Preventable
While the cause of the fire is under investigation, we already know that shipyard fires are a serious problem for the U.S. Navy right now. Multiple fires have broken out in U.S. Navy ships undergoing maintenance over the past several months, and, rather than make changes, the U.S. Navy seems to have chosen to ignore the problem, happier to gloat and point fingers as shipyard fires nearly sank Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov in 2019 and one of China’s new Type 075 big-deck amphibious assault ships earlier this year. The U.S. Navy’s failure to act—even after several warnings and close calls—is inexplicable and inexcusable.
Barring very unusual circumstances, the shipyard fire that is currently consuming the USS Bonhomme Richard is likely to have been completely and entirely avoidable.
Pier-side fires are rare when maintainers follow basic fire prevention practices.
But, despite multiple warnings over the past several years, the U.S. Navy evidently still has a serious problem with shipyard maintenance safety. As I wrote in late 2019, “While the U.S. Navy has worked to reset training for ship handling after two fatal accidents in 2017, the Navy has taken an arguably greater materiel loss in avoidable shipyard accidents since 2012 and has exhibited little energy in remedying it.”
As this prized front-line asset is, as of this writing, settling by the bow, weighed down by water pumped aboard by firefighters, the Navy is discovering a hard reality about fire safety. Fires and accidents will keep happening until either ships sink, sailors die, or somebody, somewhere in the leadership chain, gets deadly serious about prevention.
If this incident is identified as being caused by a departure from basic, simple—albeit time-consuming fire safety rules, everyone from admirals on down need to be immediately shown the door.
It is not like the Navy hasn’t been warned. The fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard broke out—in an ironic note—just across the pier from the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), freshly back from a multi-year refit after a fatal 2017 collision at sea. During that ship’s multi-year refit, the USS Fitzgerald’s captain grew so concerned about fire safety practices that he wrote a promptly leaked memo for the record noting more than 15 separate fire safety incidents in the yard, including “poorly staffed fire watches, a smoldering deck, combustible material catching on fire, the discovery of previously unreported burnt-cable spot fires and fires that melted equipment.”
While much of the Navy focuses on lethality and in surviving the battlefield, it will be interesting to see if the skipper of the USS Bonhomme Richard—itself fresh from a $250 million refit to operate next-generation F-35B fighter jets—took a similar interest in securing his ship while under maintenance.
Pier-side Fires Have Sunk A U.S. Fleet
The only thing mariners fear more than a fire at sea is a fire in a refitting vessel. A shipyard refit is one of the most perilous times for a vessel. In a refit, safety-oriented ship systems are often shut down, critical passageways are blocked by cables, pallets and other flammable materiel as workers—who are often stressed and pressed for time—carry out a variety of maintenance tasks with an eye for cutting corners. In such an environment, poor safety practices can lead to a catastrophe.
America’s Navy has seen these scenarios play out far too many times. In 2012, America lost the multibillion-dollar attack submarine USS Miami (SSN 755) because a shipyard worker, eager to leave work early, set the sub on fire. Last year, 11 U.S. sailors were injured in a fire aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), a critical Marine-toting mini-carrier. USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) also suffered a fire in November 2018, and subsequent damage will keep the ship out of the fleet for almost two years longer than planned. According to USNI News, the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) suffered a shipyard fire as well. In 2011, a fire torched the stacks of the USS Spruance (DDG 111). Other recent shipyard mishaps have included over $30 million worth of damage to the future destroyer Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) after a collision in April 2019. These, along with other avoidable incidents—fires at sea, groundings, collisions and other accidents—have essentially sunk or sidelined an entire U.S. battle fleet.
The Navy needs to wake up.
If this latest fire is found to be an avoidable incident, consequences need to be meted out swiftly at every level of the command chain. The Navy has lost too many ships and swept too many egregious and recent instances of shipyard/pier-side disregard for fire safety under the rung. Accidents do happen, but if willful disregard for basic fire safety practice is the cause of this current debacle, then it is time to make an example of the leaders that allowed this incident to happen on their watch. It is the only way to get about focusing the service’s attention on the elimination of avoidable shipyard accidents.
Only steady leadership will stop this waterfront carnage. Without leadership, these days, far too many waterfront personnel are far too ready to pass over authoritative, informed safety guidance and do things that they shouldn’t do. And if Navy leadership is content to look the other way, then Congress must act to focus the Navy’s attention on avoiding avoidable incidents.
Put bluntly, America has far too many challenges at sea to worry about maintenance workers at home sinking America’s precious fleet.
USS Bonhomme Richard Burns, Likely A Victim Of Lax Fire Safety Practices
A series of avoidable shipyard fires, along with fires at sea, groundings, collisions and other accidents, have essentially sunk or sidelined an entire U.S. battle fleet in recent years. The Navy needs to wake up.
www.forbes.com
A massive fire, likely caused by lax fire safety practices during pier-side maintenance, ravaged the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) on Sunday, one of America’s 10 big-deck amphibious assault ships. These vessels are intended to be an integral part in holding the line against a resurgent China, and the loss of this multibillion-dollar ship—which appears likely—will be felt throughout the fleet.
The fire, reported at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, was, seven hours later, still burning, and could yet burn for some time. The ship, undergoing maintenance in San Diego, had about 160 sailors aboard at the time of the incident. Eighteen have reportedly been sent to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
While the extent of the damage is unknown, the fire has been intense enough to buckle structural steel and melt the tires on vehicles parked on the flight deck. Given the extent of the damage, the ship will, at a minimum, be out of service for years, and may well be written off as a total loss.
Shipyard Fires Are Entirely Preventable
While the cause of the fire is under investigation, we already know that shipyard fires are a serious problem for the U.S. Navy right now. Multiple fires have broken out in U.S. Navy ships undergoing maintenance over the past several months, and, rather than make changes, the U.S. Navy seems to have chosen to ignore the problem, happier to gloat and point fingers as shipyard fires nearly sank Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov in 2019 and one of China’s new Type 075 big-deck amphibious assault ships earlier this year. The U.S. Navy’s failure to act—even after several warnings and close calls—is inexplicable and inexcusable.
Barring very unusual circumstances, the shipyard fire that is currently consuming the USS Bonhomme Richard is likely to have been completely and entirely avoidable.
Pier-side fires are rare when maintainers follow basic fire prevention practices.
But, despite multiple warnings over the past several years, the U.S. Navy evidently still has a serious problem with shipyard maintenance safety. As I wrote in late 2019, “While the U.S. Navy has worked to reset training for ship handling after two fatal accidents in 2017, the Navy has taken an arguably greater materiel loss in avoidable shipyard accidents since 2012 and has exhibited little energy in remedying it.”
As this prized front-line asset is, as of this writing, settling by the bow, weighed down by water pumped aboard by firefighters, the Navy is discovering a hard reality about fire safety. Fires and accidents will keep happening until either ships sink, sailors die, or somebody, somewhere in the leadership chain, gets deadly serious about prevention.
If this incident is identified as being caused by a departure from basic, simple—albeit time-consuming fire safety rules, everyone from admirals on down need to be immediately shown the door.
It is not like the Navy hasn’t been warned. The fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard broke out—in an ironic note—just across the pier from the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), freshly back from a multi-year refit after a fatal 2017 collision at sea. During that ship’s multi-year refit, the USS Fitzgerald’s captain grew so concerned about fire safety practices that he wrote a promptly leaked memo for the record noting more than 15 separate fire safety incidents in the yard, including “poorly staffed fire watches, a smoldering deck, combustible material catching on fire, the discovery of previously unreported burnt-cable spot fires and fires that melted equipment.”
While much of the Navy focuses on lethality and in surviving the battlefield, it will be interesting to see if the skipper of the USS Bonhomme Richard—itself fresh from a $250 million refit to operate next-generation F-35B fighter jets—took a similar interest in securing his ship while under maintenance.
Pier-side Fires Have Sunk A U.S. Fleet
The only thing mariners fear more than a fire at sea is a fire in a refitting vessel. A shipyard refit is one of the most perilous times for a vessel. In a refit, safety-oriented ship systems are often shut down, critical passageways are blocked by cables, pallets and other flammable materiel as workers—who are often stressed and pressed for time—carry out a variety of maintenance tasks with an eye for cutting corners. In such an environment, poor safety practices can lead to a catastrophe.
America’s Navy has seen these scenarios play out far too many times. In 2012, America lost the multibillion-dollar attack submarine USS Miami (SSN 755) because a shipyard worker, eager to leave work early, set the sub on fire. Last year, 11 U.S. sailors were injured in a fire aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), a critical Marine-toting mini-carrier. USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) also suffered a fire in November 2018, and subsequent damage will keep the ship out of the fleet for almost two years longer than planned. According to USNI News, the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) suffered a shipyard fire as well. In 2011, a fire torched the stacks of the USS Spruance (DDG 111). Other recent shipyard mishaps have included over $30 million worth of damage to the future destroyer Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) after a collision in April 2019. These, along with other avoidable incidents—fires at sea, groundings, collisions and other accidents—have essentially sunk or sidelined an entire U.S. battle fleet.
The Navy needs to wake up.
If this latest fire is found to be an avoidable incident, consequences need to be meted out swiftly at every level of the command chain. The Navy has lost too many ships and swept too many egregious and recent instances of shipyard/pier-side disregard for fire safety under the rung. Accidents do happen, but if willful disregard for basic fire safety practice is the cause of this current debacle, then it is time to make an example of the leaders that allowed this incident to happen on their watch. It is the only way to get about focusing the service’s attention on the elimination of avoidable shipyard accidents.
Only steady leadership will stop this waterfront carnage. Without leadership, these days, far too many waterfront personnel are far too ready to pass over authoritative, informed safety guidance and do things that they shouldn’t do. And if Navy leadership is content to look the other way, then Congress must act to focus the Navy’s attention on avoiding avoidable incidents.
Put bluntly, America has far too many challenges at sea to worry about maintenance workers at home sinking America’s precious fleet.
mzkitty
I give up.
Video:
View: https://twitter.com/AndyNetherwood/status/1282569996015722496
UPDATED 6:46 a.m. July 13, 2020: USS Bonhomme Richard Fire
Sailors reported a fire aboard the wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) while moored pier side at Naval Base San Diego.
Illini Warrior
Illini Warrior
no country is going to be stupid enough to risk a war over an old ship >>> it has to be a major strategic set-back like what Isreal did to Iran's nuke program ...
any sabotage assets that China has in place are sitting still & quiet until there's a major call up of people far & wide thru out the world ...
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
It BETTER BE!!!
There better be stars, eagles, and other shoulder boards littering the desks in Navy senior offices, Congressional hearing rooms, etc. And every shoulder board that hits a desk or the floor better be accompanied with a resignation of a failed duty commission!!
Alternatively, there should be an epidemic of (1-round in the pistol/fifth of prime Scotch or Rum on the desk inside an office with a locked door w/ guard) "accidental discharges" being investigated.