Fire Fight Intensifies on USS Bonhomme Richard, 5 Sailors Still Hospitalized
By: Sam LaGrone - USNI News - 07-13-20
Re:
https://news.usni.org/2020/07/13/fir...l-hospitalized
Photo link:
https://news.usni.org/wp-content/upl...07/6272483.jpg
200712-N-BL599-1081 SAN DIEGO (July 12,2020) – Sailors and Federal Firefighters combat a fire onboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) at Naval Base San Diego, July 12. On the morning of July 12, a fire was called away aboard the ship while it was moored pierside at Naval Base San Diego. Local, base and shipboard firefighters responded to the fire. USS Bonhomme Richard is going through a maintenance availability, which began in 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christina Ross)
The fight against the fire burning on amphibious warship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) escalated overnight, with federal and Navy firefighters joined by two helicopters dropping water on the fire from the air.
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As of 3:30 a.m. local time, “the firefighting teams continue operations continue on board USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) in addition to aerial firefighting operations that commenced via helicopter water bucket at 10:30 p.m.,” reads an early Monday statement from Naval Surface Force Pacific.
“There are five sailors admitted to local hospitals for observation. All are in stable condition.”
The Navy and local and federal firefighters have since Sunday morning battled the fire on the amphibious warship that was undergoing maintenance on Pier 2 at Naval Base San Diego. Only about 160 sailors of the ship’s 1,000 crew were aboard Bonhomme Richard when the fire broke out.
Another photo link:
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A MH-60S Knight Hawk Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 combats a fire aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) on July 12, 2020. US Navy Photo
“Local fire crews with the San Diego Fire Department responded to the scene at 8:50 a.m., some 20 minutes after the fire was reported to the Navy. Dozens of fire vehicles, ladder trucks and ambulances from San Diego and local departments, as well as the federal fire service, descended onto the base and Pier 2,” USNI News reported on Sunday.
Navy officials said the fire started in the lower parts of the ship where embarked Marines keep vehicles and equipment.
“There was a report of an internal explosion” in a lower stowage area, Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3, told reporters during a Sunday evening press conference just outside the base. “We don’t quite understand yet the source of … the seed of the fire,” he added.
In addition to efforts on the pier and support from firefighting boats, two MH-60S helicopters from “The Merlins” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HCS) 3 began aerial firefighting late on Sunday.
Two other ships on Pier 2, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Russell (DDG-59) and USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), were moved to different berthing on Sunday afternoon as the fire grew on the ship.
Local officials told CNN the fire could burn for several days.
“Today, we suffered a terrible tragedy aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) when a fire broke out aboard the ship while in port San Diego,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said in a statement on Sunday.
“We are grateful for the quick and immediate response of local, base, and shipboard firefighters aboard USS Bonhomme Richard. Our thoughts and prayers are with our BHR Sailors, their families, and our emergency responders who continue to fight the fire. Godspeed.”
The big-deck amphib, commissioned in 1998, returned from being forward deployed to Japan in 2018. Bonhomme Richard had just completed a $249 million repair period at the nearby General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard before transferring to the naval base.
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Personal note: It's rare to have ship fires such as this. But when one does break out all their training kicks in and sister ships will also assist when needed. These ships of war carry explosive elements and weapons so when a fire breaks out - Its All Hands on Deck!
They are trained from Boot Camp thru their service careers on how to fight fires both at port and at sea.
Boats