BRKG Navy amphib ship on fire-San Diego

[mecoastie]

I am SURE there are contingency people pulling out plans but MY concern is that things are getting REAL WARM in the SChina Sea and environs...And the Mandarins RARELY miss an opportunity like this. Which it is, no doubt.

This ship was in a yard/maintenance period so it was already not ready to go immediately if things went south. Short term would be to bring in one of the other active ships possibly lengthening time at sea or cutting short/ skipping maintenance to get them out. Maybe send the Tripoli to backfill although who knows when she will be ready to fully join the fleet. I cant imagine getting one of the Reserve fleet up, equipped and ready to go in less than 8-12 months. THe Bouganville is not slated for delivery until 2024.

 

[night driver]

There was APPARENTLY a foam system that needed evac before triggering but that apparently didn't succeed with the environment in question.

Like Sid said, this was the WORST kind of fire to fight since damn near ALL of the hatches were open as well as air ducts and deck hatches for ventilation for the job.

Remember that fire requires 3 things. Oxygen, Fuel, Heat. Humans require oxygen Moreso than a fire actually.

 

[SpokaneMan]

Isn't there other automatic fire suppression , that would be sailor friendly??

Beer.

 

[IronMan 2]

What about Halon???

Halon and other fire suppressants of the type work by interfering with the chemical action of combustion; as a gas they do displace the air (hence oxygen) but that's not the reason why they put fires out. Half a lifetime ago I was a stoker in the Royal Australian Navy and my ships used a chemical called FM200 in the main machinery spaces. After triggering the FM200 and waiting for an appropriate time it was still required to re-enter the space and spray foam/water to cool the area.

We were told, in no uncertain terms at all, that if the FM200 was released before the damage control party was evacuated (unlikely) and if the DC party felt a tingling on their skin then they were to evacuate to the upper decks immediately and remove all firefighting gear, OCCABA and all clothing down to and including underwear and throw the whole lot over the side! FM200 was a wonderful fire suppressant but when exposed to heat it broke down to form hydrofloric acid!

 

[Meadowlark]

oohh hydrofluoric is nasty stuff. It crosses the blood barrier and forms CaF2 in your blood causing your heart to stop.

 

[TerryK]

Last night, a San Diego news report said the Halon system was down because it was being worked on by the shipyard.
Installed Halon and Foam systems are what makes fire fighting on a ship at sea a reasonable possibility.
Alpha and Charlie fires are fairly easy to manage with a fire team.
Bravo and Delta and you really need installed sytems.

Regardless of outcome, this fire will serve as class training lessons in the same way as the Forrestal fire did for the last 50 years. Fire fighting school just got longer and shipyard safety procedures will be totally rewritten.

A billion dollar submarine destroyed in the yards and now this.
This is not only the loss of something approaching a new constructed cost of a billion dollars, but more immediately, the loss of a carrier substitute and task force leader in confronting China in the China Sea contested area.

 

[cowboy]

Where was OSHA in this work site, they would not have allowed any of these conditions to exist. I am coureous as to what is on board that burns hot enough to egnite whatever a B or D fire is?

 

[OldArcher]

Where was OSHA in this work site, they would not have allowed any of these conditions to exist. I am coureous as to what is on board that burns hot enough to egnite whatever a B or D fire is?

If it happened in the well deck, or adjacent compartments holding vehicles, boats, supplies that are flammable- whatever melts metals like aluminum, and other light metals, you have ingredients for B & D class fires. With the venturi effect of wind through a ship that's not locked down/compartments open to the outside atmosphere, you have the B & D class fires acting like kindling, actually buckling and melting the steel bulkheads. Wicked-Bad stuff. If what they're saying is right, the ship will go straight to the breaker's yard. She'll be structurally unsound, and definitely not seaworthy...

My guess is that they're doing their best to keep that 1 Million gallons of fuel from acting like the reservoir of lamp, or worst case, igniting, and continuing to burn, until it is open to the sea. That opens even more difficulties. For two generations the Navy has worked hard to prevent or contain oil/fuel spills. Regardless, this is a disaster for the Navy, and weakens our nation at a time such vessels are needed WestPac bound and on station as a deterrent to Chinese intentions...

I'll guess that the various boards of inquiry will be behind closed doors, and we'll probably never know the real cause...

All the best,

OA

 

[cowboy]

I guess I was thinking something more like a rail guns capacitors to be shorting out and cause some sub arc welding type of effect.

 

[jward]

I wondered if there was a tie to the Iranian boom boom epidemic and this- though other foreign actors might be more likely candidates if in fact such people are behind it....

Ali Hashem علي هاشم
@alihashem_tv

Commander of #IRGC Quds force Ismail Qaani commenting on the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard warship fire: harder times are yet to come for Israel and the US (...) what happened is a result of America’s wrongdoing twitter.com/jadehiran/stat…

 

[bw]

I guess I was thinking something more like a rail guns capacitors to be shorting out and cause some sub arc welding type of effect.

They would have no charge unless prepping to fire.

 

[ohiohippie]

The material burning.
Dark black is usually fuel.
White can be several things

TY

 

[night driver]

Pure-ish Magnesium lights up with a BIC lighter if it's shavings...And once you get THAT to burn for a bit you can light about anything.