Navy Investigation Into USS Bonhomme Richard Fire Now Has An Arson Suspect

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

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

Navy Investigation Into USS Bonhomme Richard Fire Now Has An Arson Suspect: Report

The fire burned for days and likely destroyed a ship worth billions of dollars. Now a sailor is being investigated for starting the blaze on purpose.

www.thedrive.com

 

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Oh wow..

 

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Navy report blames crew for devastating fire on the Bonhomme Richard​

Published12 hours ago

Image caption,The USS Bonhomme fire in 2020 took four days to put out

A US Navy report has concluded that major failures within the military command chain allowed a fire to destroy a US warship, according to US media.
The USS Bonhomme Richard burned for four days in San Diego, California in July 2020. The fire injured 40 sailors and 23 civilians.

The new report identifies 36 sailors, including five admirals, as having contributed to the loss of the ship.

It also identifies multiple cascading failures in the fire response.

Arson charges have been filed against one sailor who allegedly started the blaze out of animosity towards commanders, but the new report finds that a lack of response allowed the fire to grow rapidly in size.

"Although the fire was started by an act of arson, the ship was lost due to an inability to extinguish the fire," wrote US 3rd Fleet commander Vice Adm Scott Conn, who is overseeing the investigation.

US media say the report lays out multiple mistakes made in the first few minutes of the blaze.
Troops failed to alert others to the fire for a full 10 minutes after spotting it, and never activated the firefighting foam system, the report found.


"A pattern of failed drills, minimal crew participation, an absence of basic knowledge on firefighting" left the sailors unprepared, and unable to properly co-ordinate firefighting efforts with civilian officials, it found.

Media caption,The fire broke out on the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego, California
The report has not yet been made public and it is unclear if any of the 36 individuals have been punished by commanders.

The US Navy has yet to respond to a BBC News request for comment.

The 40,000-tonne, $1bn (£716m) USS Bonhomme Richard was commissioned in 1998 and was one of the few amphibious vessels from which an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft could take off.

The Navy has since decided to decommission and scrap the ship due to the damage.

Navy report blames crew for devastating fire on the Bonhomme Richard

The USS Bonhomme Richard was decommissioned after a fire burned on board for four days.

www.bbc.com