What burns in a sub?? 400 million damage WTF?
Id love to see the damage takeoff sheet
Indeed, what was burning in such quantity? Obviously, sub designers need to re-think what goes into one.
The problem is not what was damaged, although that is a significant cost...the problem is the cost of essentially gutting the forward part of the ship, down to the bare inside of the hull, and then rebuilding it almost from scratch. From stripping and replacing hull insulation, to replacing ALL electrical cables, to replacing ventilation, hydraulics, and all manner of other systems and their required infrastructure, this is a HUGE task.
Same thing that can burn elsewhere like equipment, insulation, paint on the bulkhead, plastic, circuit boards, swabs, lots of things. Fire is possible on any ship. There is no fire proof ship and fire onboard ship is a serious danger. That is why prevention is taken so serious.
I knew a Damage Control Assistant {DCA} a Lt Commander in rank who cut no one any slack on things like electrical inspection safety tags. No not even the Admiral was immune from his wrath. His solution for not having an inspection sticker was simple. He cut the cord.