read an article this morning that NCIS has a suspect

https://www.thedrive.com/the-w...FpBjcwazS7aZ2GmbL79o

Channel 10 News, the ABC affiliate in San Diego, reports that a sailor is under investigation for the fire that burned for days aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard. The blaze has likely destroyed the multi-billion-dollar capital ship.

Channel 10 News states:

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.

The outlet also stated that the NCIS team dealing with the investigation has "requested help from the National Response Team for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) because the agency provides resources and expertise on complex, large-scale incidents like the massive ship fire."

If indeed a serviceperson caused this, it could represent the most expensive single losses of property due to arson anywhere, let alone from within the Navy. It's worth noting that a civilian contractor was to blame for what is now the second-worst fire aboard a U.S. Navy vessel in recent memory. In 2012, Casey Fury, a painter and sandblaster, lit the Los Angeles class nuclear fast-attack submarine USS Miami (SSN-755) on fire. The damage was pegged at the better part of $1B and the ship was removed from service as a result.

We have to highlight that just because there is a suspect, it doesn't mean they are guilty or that arson is even the definitive cause of the fire. Still, if this ends up being the case, it will be another gut-punch for the U.S. Navy and will have wide-ranging impacts.

We will keep you informed as the investigation continues to unfold.

Pardon my ignorance, but I thought Navy ships had some sort of automated fire suppression System. Halon? Water sprinklers? Something?

It would seem prudential.

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
Pardon my ignorance, but I thought Navy ships had some sort of automated fire suppression System. Halon? Water sprinklers? Something?

It would seem prudential.

This was covered in the main thread but as stated there with the vessel in the yard for maintenance and upgrades it was likely this system was offline.

Every insurance company, OSHA, or any outfit with a brain has fire watch and hole watch procedures. But accidents still happen.

Curious what comes of this.

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
Pardon my ignorance, but I thought Navy ships had some sort of automated fire suppression System. Halon? Water sprinklers? Something?

It would seem prudential.

While in port, and undergoing modifications and repairs in a shipyard, ships tend to de-pressurize their fire mains. It is not a fun time for a CO or Chief Engineer.

The ship had at least two halon systems. One was deactivated, the other was damaged in an explosion that apparently started the blaze.

I am sure this is partly why an arson investigation has proceeded so quickly. An explosion that damages the only operational fire suppression system is a pretty suspicious event.

Link

I haven't seen anything online if they have determined or decided if the ship is repairable or will be scrapped.

I looked online but did not find any info on the current status of the ship. I'm just curious if anyone has any update as to cause of the fire as well as if the ship will be repaired?

The other thread on the Bonhomme was locked.

Thanks.
.

If arson was involved, ATF NRT will know shortly. They are the best in the world at what they do.

She's still tied up at the same pier and it looks like she is no longer listing to port like she was before.

ATF NRT has been involved & assisting NCIS with the investigation. The Navy is still trying to decide the fate of the BHR. $1.5B to repair or scuttle in favor of a new America class LHA.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
If arson was involved, ATF NRT will know shortly. They are the best in the world at what they do.

I was on a harbor tour on Tuesday and saw her tied to the pier. The ship is looking good for all it went through and our tour guide mentioned that repairs were under way.

quote:

Originally posted by SigLaw:
I was on a harbor tour on Tuesday and saw her tied to the pier. The ship is looking good for all it went through and our tour guide mentioned that repairs were under way.

Her main engineering spaces are fine, however most everything above is not. What repairs are being done is to shore-up weak areas & hatches, re-establish internal communication and electrical to vital areas and be able to operate basic systems in specific locations.

Anything is fixable if you are motivated:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...tship_Buffalo_(LV-82)

Sank in a storm with all hands, found a year later, repaired and put back in service.

quote:

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Anything is fixable if you are motivated:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...tship_Buffalo_(LV-82)

Sank in a storm with all hands, found a year later, repaired and put back in service.

While a cool story, that's kinda apples-to-oranges. A small (6 person crew) and simple vessel like the Buffalo is easy to repair, compared to the very large and very complex BHR.

quote:

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Anything is fixable if you are motivated:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...tship_Buffalo_(LV-82)

Sank in a storm with all hands, found a year later, repaired and put back in service.

I'll raise you a Belknap's collision with JFK, fire burned burned/melted everything down to the hull and then some. Rebuilt sure but, we're talking a much simpler ship than the BHR and a much different industrial base than what we have today. Not to mention DoD budget was also a tad bigger and more generous.

After the U.S. Navy's mismanagement of the USS Iowa investigation, I don't trust anything they say.

^^^^^^^^

From the article:

quote:

The Navy decided to scrap the amphibious assault ship that burned for nearly five days earlier this year, concluding after months of investigations that trying to rebuild and restore the ship would take too much money and too much industrial base capacity.

The July 12 fire aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) began in the lower vehicle storage area but ravaged the island, the mast and the flight deck as it burned its way through the inside of the big-deck amphib. The ship remained watertight throughout the ordeal and hasn’t been moved from its spot on the pier at Naval Base San Diego, but between the fire itself and the days-long firefighting effort, about 60-percnet of the ship was ruined and would have had to be rebuilt or replaced, Rear Adm. Eric Ver Hage, the commander of Navy Regional Maintenance Center and the director of surface ship maintenance and modernization, told reporters today in a phone call.

“After thorough consideration, the secretary of the Navy and the chief of naval operations have decided to decommission the Bonhomme Richard due to the extensive damage sustained during that July fire. In the weeks and months since that fire, the Navy conducted a comprehensive material assessment to determine the best path forward for that ship and our Navy,” he said.

It definitely sounds like scrapping is the best option. Lousy way for a warship to go out, though.

I don't know how morale in the Navy is nowadays, but it doesn't seem to be trending in a good direction. This fire, preceded by the two destroyers which suffered casualties in two separate collisions at sea. . .



Any of our active/veteran Navy folks hear any good rumors as to the suspected arson suspect?

It was inevitable.

quote:

“In the end, the decommissioning decision had a number of factors, and one of which was, what would be the impact of the dollars spent and the actual effort to rebuild, what would be the impact on the industrial base? The dollars definitely would disrupt our strategy for investment. And then from an industrial base perspective, we had concerns that it would impact new construction or other repair work, and we knew that Gulf Coast would be the spot to get the building or the restoration done because of the capacity and their capabilities – but in the end made the decision for multiple factors, as I mentioned, that decommissioning would be the way to go,” Ver Hage told USNI News during the call.

A revealing but, damning quote regarding the shortcomings of shipbuilding as a strategic asset, the current capabilities and the existing state of affairs regarding that industry.

A sad end for a good ship, but the decision is not surprising just based on the estimated cost to repair...

Why spend $3.5 billion repairing a 23 year old vessel of an older class, when you could just replace it with a whole new LHA of the newer America Class design for $3.4 billion?

Like a car that's been in a bad wreck, the adjuster has just totaled it because the cost to repair is higher than the cost to replace.