Posted on 07/12/2020 11:27:54 AM PDT by bitt
An explosion erupted as a roaring blaze was reported on a military assault ship at Naval Base San Diego Sunday morning, according to authorities.
Plumes of smoke arose from USS Bonhomme Richard as firefighters battled the three-alarm blaze on the 3400 block on Senn St. The vessel is an amphibious assault ship homeported in San Diego, according to Krishna Jackson of Naval Base San Diego.
The ship had undergone a regular maintenance cycle before the fire was reported, Jackson said. Crew members typically are aboard the ship on weekends, but there are fewer than on weekdays.
Several sailors are being treated for injuries, according to the San Diego Fire Department. The extent of their injuries is unclear and authorities did not say how many sailors were injured.
It is unclear what sparked the fire.
Aside from the daily Japan Airlines flight from San Diego to Narita, pretty sure the answer would be no.
11 sailors were taken to the hospital with minor injuries out of about 200 that were onboard the ship when the fire struck according to the San Diego Union Tribune. The paper also reports that all of the sailors have been accounted for, which is a bit of good news. Around 150 firefighters are on the scene fighting the ongoing fire.
Too bad NCIS isn’t like TV with a Gibbs who would have it figured out in a day or two.
I agree. Those areas are usually pretty secure.
“Way down south in a private commercial yard. We did a pretty good bit of Navy work at one time,
Pascagoula?*
Nope, Mobile, Alabama. The shipyard, Bender Shipbilding & Repair, is no longer in business.
Sort of. The Navy has “Ratings” that describe their specialty. One of those rates is “Damage Controlman”. These guys are experts in firefighting and other damage control, as well as experts on all of the firefighting systems and equipment on the ship. But there aren’t very many of them on a ship, so one of their primary duties is to train and qualify others. Just as they say, “every Marine is a rifleman”, you could also say “every Sailor is a fireman”. Every sailor get’s basic shipboard damage control/firefighting training and is required to receive additional training on each ship they are stationed on. When you are thousands of miles from shore and your home is on fire, you don’t have many options.
Seal Beach Pier is in Seal Beach, Orange County, south (actually east) of Los Angeles. Not to say that an LA fireboat didn’t help.
If you want to read about ships on fire, try ‘Neptune’s Inferno’ by James Hornfischer—about the naval battles near Guadalcanal.
The movement away from aluminum superstructures was already in progress when Stark ate that missile. The Navy learned (albeit slowly) from the USS Belknap incident previously, and they’d already had stress crack issues in aluminum that were allowing water ingress. This is part of why the OHP class frigates ended up getting retired and we didn’t make many more of them; their replacements were supposed to have steel superstructures.
And before anyone points to the Falklands War, HMS Sheffield didn’t have an aluminum superstructure or hull at the time it ate an Exocet. Neither did HMS Coventry when she sucked up several Argentine bombs. HMS Antelope had an aluminum superstructure but a steel hull, took a 1000lb bomb through the hull that failed to explode, but when crew attempted to disarm and remove the bomb it detonated, setting off the magazines and gutting the ship instantly beyond hope of saving. HMS Ardent was of the same class, but ate several bombs in the stern through the hull; the bombs detonating inside the hull rendered the question of the superstructure and deck’s material an academic one.
*** “Usually wouldn’t be in port with ammo except some small arm lockers for security” ***
BS ... Just BS
They screwed the pooch so bad with the Fire, they have probably screwed the pooch in a couple other areas as well
CO and Seniors will get dismissed with Hasta La Bye Bye letters... bunch of NCO’s are going to be Judged as well, no matter their physical location when the fire broke out.
Yes,I know that since the Forestall in ‘68 (or was it ‘67?) the Navy has focused on fires aboard ships...for obvious reasons.I guess it makes sense for at least a few (if not more than a few) specialists being on board while at sea.
Given that the pierside tires holding the Bonhomme Richard away from the piers are igniting, I’d say that the ship is a constructive total loss. When the exterior of the hull at the waterline is so hot it ignites tires, the temperature inside the hull is ruining whatever equipment is inside as well as weakening the hull and frame.
It was also the losses from Okinawa due to fire from Kamikazes if I remember the lecture correctly. They showed us a film in training, I think it was called Trial by Fire.
Bookmark
Sorry didn't mean to shout ......
Do you see any flames?
The deck surface is water proof/resistant. An aerial drop will have the same effect as a rain squall.
Thanks.
Can anyone explain why the fireboats are directing 50 percent of the spray onto the water away from BHR??
Often they use one the force of stream
to offset the force of the other stream
to help hold the boat in place.
Thanks would have thought they would have an array of thrusters below the waterline for ta purpose.
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