But the San Diego Chicken has been retired for years. :)
Posted on 07/13/2020 2:26:03 PM PDT by NRx
More than 400 sailors are working to put out the massive fire that continues to rage aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego and Navy officials are unclear how long the blaze might continue to burn.
The fire has brought down the amphibious assault ship's forward mast and caused other damage to the ship's superstructure that rises above its flight deck.
"There is a tremendous amount of heat underneath and that's where it's -- it's flashing up -- also forward, closer to the bow again there's a heat source and we're trying to get to that as well," Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, the commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3 said at a news conference Monday in San Diego.
More than 400 sailors are working to put out the massive fire that continues to rage aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego and Navy officials are unclear how long the blaze might continue to burn.
The fire has brought down the amphibious assault ship's forward mast and caused other damage to the ship's superstructure that rises above its flight deck.
"There is a tremendous amount of heat underneath and that's where it's -- it's flashing up -- also forward, closer to the bow again there's a heat source and we're trying to get to that as well," Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, the commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3 said at a news conference Monday in San Diego.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Heads will roll.
It is true. I have often thought of this odd dichotomy.
In war, there are many men who hate being on a given ship, but when that ship was sunk, many men felt tears in their eyes and an empty ache in their heart.
They refer to her as “She”. They lived, worked, and slept on her. They had gone on liberty, jubilantly and fun of vim and vigor running down the gangway in a cluster of uniforms, returning later that night in a happy, alcohol induced fatigue (if we were lucky) just wanting to get back to the rack and pull the curtain and close our eyes...those of us who had curtains.
I think I understand that a little. There were times I hated being where I was, but years later (just months ago, actually) I saw a drone video of the USS JFK in the mothball fleet awaiting disposition.
Her dry, lifeless, cracked and decrepit condition hurt me to see. There was something sad and feeble. She had once been full of men, working hard at jobs with a purpose, and now her sad, oxidized haze gray paint had the look of an elderly woman in a wheelchair.
No.
I think I have a feel for that.
And I think if you go down this thread and look for other men like you and I who spent time on a ship and asked them about this, you would likely find many who understand that feeling.
They lost the U.S.S. MIAMI in 2012 due to a saboteur.
The South Dakota wasn't 22 years old at the time and the U.S. isn't in the middle of a world war.
Repairing this ship will run into 10 figures and the money would be better spent on a replacement.
Active Captain...public domain site...lists the slips as 32ft at low water. Ship draws 29ft. Won’t do much good.
Now add COVID social distancing measures in place and there's a good chance the crew was reduced even more.
Slip is 32ft at low water. Ship draws 29ft (public domain info). Won’t do much good.
I would disagree, though I think with some of the vessels we have, that may indeed be true.
In a ship at battle stations, initial watertight integrity, and damage control teams at the ready, modern warships would be be able to take a hit.
Modern carriers, such as the Nimitz class, are at least as good as or better than the Forrestal from a construction perspective.
When you look at the Forrestal, she had something like 10 or 11 bombs detonate in less than five or ten minutes along with a host of smaller munitions. The greatest majority of those bombs were 1000 lb bombs, which are nothing to sneeze at.
And they learned lessons and modified the vessels going forward. One of the interesting things I didn’t know is that the Liquid Oxygen generation system that supplied the air wing was completely enclosed on the Forrestal and it was surrounded by fire, and there was a guy in there the entire time. It was stationary and could not be moved. If it had gone up, it would have in all likelihood have taken the stern off the ship.
After that event, the Navy refitted all the LOX generators on their carriers to sit on rails, and if that happened again, there was a way they could open the side of the ship and roll it into the ocean.
And they learned a lot about the USS America SINKEX. I heard a rumor that she went down hard, that they put a LOT of ordinance into her, far more than was thought to be necessary. They incorporated those lessons learned into the Gerald Ford design.
In any case, I think it isn’t true the they are all one-hit wonders (great but somewhat depressing label) but I think some are.
$400 million in restitution, eh? Gotta be tough on a painter’s salary.
The obvious exception being Lt. J.G. John F. Kennedy, although I suppose very few skippers in the Navy (then and now) have Joe Kennedy's connections.
LOL...Sounds like the JG was definite O7 material...
Anyone know if the repairs were so extensive that the aircraft were flown off prior to the docking?
If it has 20-F35B with armament, that is a pretty penny.
Didn’t think so. Oh well ....
There was probably a Navy helicopter or two on board.
But the San Diego Chicken has been retired for years. :)
One old salt said it best: there will be lots of men and women showing up for muster on the BHR who won’t have jobs. And not because their ship has been burned to a worthless hulk....
just read that the estimate of replacement cost is 4 Billion
A class “D” metal fire can not be put out with water. Water on a “D” fire actually puts off toxic fumes. This will not end well if the 1,000,000 gallons of fuel ignite. I’d move every ship as far away as possible. Personally, in the beginning when they abandoned ship, I’d have cur 4x4 holes in the hull stuck a 3” smooth bore tip in their from a fire boat and flooded the compartments on fire.
The Franklin Comes Home by A.A. Hoehling. I read this book many years ago and it is very well written and fast paced.
The men onboard that ship were heroes.
Some of the slips are 37ft, but, still not deep enough. They would have to drag it out into the Pacific. It’s more than a 1,000 ft deep just off shore.
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