PPRuNe Forums

PPRuNe Forums (https://www.pprune.org/)
-   Military Aviation (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation-57/)
-   -   Fire - USS Bonhomme Richard LHD-6 - 12 Jul 20 (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/633983-fire-uss-bonhomme-richard-lhd-6-12-jul-20-a.html)

ORAC 14th Jul 2020 09:23

Nutloose, she’s presently lying in her side. Not sure what that does to her internally, but has an snip in such a situation ever returned to service?

ORAC 14th Jul 2020 09:32

What was left of the island before she rolled on her side.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....bbb0dbb6b.jpeg



NutLoose 14th Jul 2020 09:33

I seemed to have been proved partially right.



The fire was first reported in a lower cargo area where seafaring tanks and landing craft are parked. It appears to have started in a spot where cardboard boxes, rags and other ship maintenance supplies were being stored, Sobeck said.
A fire suppression system had been turned off because it was being worked on as part of the ongoing maintenance. The system uses Halon, a liquefied, compressed gas that disrupts a fire and stops its spread by cutting off its oxygen.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/polit...ip/ar-BB16HHbk

Islandlad 14th Jul 2020 10:30


Originally Posted by ORAC (Post 10836720)
Nutloose, she’s presently lying in her side. Not sure what that does to her internally, but has an snip in such a situation ever returned to service?

On her side? Any photos or links? When did that happen?

NutLoose 14th Jul 2020 10:42

All I can find are of her listing, had a look the other day, the draught? under a hull for the port is about 5 foot, which one wouldn't think sufficent to capsize, but that's only me guessing.


https://news.sky.com/video/chopper-d...-dock-12028080

Auxtank 14th Jul 2020 11:23

She is slightly listing - maybe 10°
Being on her side means beam ends in the water - she's nowhere near that.

Islandlad 14th Jul 2020 13:10


Originally Posted by Auxtank (Post 10836841)
She is slightly listing - maybe 10°
Being on her side means beam ends in the water - she's nowhere near that.

Could that 10° be to drain water from one side and out the other?

Jhieminga 14th Jul 2020 13:46

That may be a positive side effect, but I doubt if they have any say in how much it is listing.

ORAC 14th Jul 2020 13:59

https://www.ibtimes.com/uss-bonhomme...e-fire-3011012

.......
Firefighters Tuesday battled a blaze aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego that erupted during the weekend. “We've been at it for over 24 hours now and we're going to get it until it's done,” Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck told a Monday press conference.

He said the superstructure and upper decks of the vessel suffered heavy damage and water was seeping into the lower decks, causing the ship to list toward the pier. Sailors and firefighters have been working to fix breaches and remove water to ease the listing.

Firefighters aboard the ship have managed so far to keep the blaze away from 1 million gallons of fuel still aboard the ship. Two decks separate the fire and fuel, with firefighters working to create a “buffer zone.” However, there still were concerns the ship may be damaged beyond repair due to the ferocity of the fire.......

SLXOwft 14th Jul 2020 14:06

She's afloat, as far as we know she isn't holed below the waterline so they will pump it out - they will be concerned about contamination so maybe not into the dock. I would have thought rebuild will be a numbers game e.g.is new build more economic or restoring the capability at all too expensive? I don't know if the USN uses civilian contractors but if so and this was their fault, its going to be one expensive claim. Warships have comeback from heavier damage (from what we can see) - I can think of a number that lost their bows. I believe initially they were hoping to salvage the Shiny Sheff for rebuild. BHR isn't like the Vic which was due for the knackers yard within a maximum of five years and so a much smaller fire was a gift to a defence cutting government. I would have thought the hull integrity is prorbably still pretty good but I'm not an engineer - heating and cooling will have affected the metal though.

Admitedly, this is all guess work.


However, there still were concerns the ship may be damaged beyond repair due to the ferocity of the fire...
(Orac posted while I was typing)

ORAC 14th Jul 2020 14:08

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f80de55ec9.png

Paint? Gas cylinders? Whatever, a good decision to pull them out.......

https://timesofsandiego.com/military...homme-richard/


.....The fire began shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday in a part of the vessel where cardboard and drywall supplies are kept, according to the Navy and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

After about 90 minutes, authorities decided to remove all firefighters from the vessel for safety reasons and battle the blaze by remote means, including water dropped from helicopters and sprayed onto the ship via firefighting boats surrounding it on the bay.

About two hours after the fire began, a blast of unknown origin shook the vessel.

“None of the (SDFRD) firefighters were on board the ship when the explosion happened, but the blast threw several firefighters off their feet,” the city department reported.......

lomapaseo 14th Jul 2020 14:31


Originally Posted by Islandlad (Post 10836935)
Could that 10° be to drain water from one side and out the other?


What's the difference between this action and a ship sinking on it's own?

NutLoose 14th Jul 2020 14:53

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8d502dc3ca.jpg

NutLoose 14th Jul 2020 14:55

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....23d14fcf2d.jpg

NutLoose 14th Jul 2020 14:59


Originally Posted by lomapaseo (Post 10837003)
What's the difference between this action and a ship sinking on it's own?

I think what he means is to give the water being pumped on board higher up a chance to escape overboard through the myriad of openings as opposed to simply filling up the hull.

RAFEngO74to09 14th Jul 2020 15:21

Latest USN video:



RAFEngO74to09 14th Jul 2020 15:26

Additional collection of photos of firefighters at work in here:


Islandlad 14th Jul 2020 15:30


Originally Posted by NutLoose (Post 10837028)
I think what he means is to give the water being pumped on board higher up a chance to escape overboard through the myriad of openings as opposd to simply filling up the hull.

Could not have put it better myself. Flushing a hot deck could even cool the air from below. Even if it was a byproduct of the list it probably did something.

Old-Duffer 14th Jul 2020 15:55

How many other ships are in the same class as the BHR? If she is well into her life span, it might not be sensible to recover her to service and if there is a later model vessel of a similar role, it could be better to build an additional ship of that class.

Sad to see.

Last evening I saw a programme tracking the recovery of a merchant ship which was sunk in the North Sea following a collision with hundreds of luxury cars on board and how the ship was cut up to make recovery of the wreck possible. Very interesting technologically but very sobering to see a huge ship turned into tin cans.

Old Duffer

LTCTerry 14th Jul 2020 16:31


Originally Posted by TBM-Legend (Post 10836570)
I’ve served on a carrier as a naval officer and I can assure you that our fire training and damage control training was very rigorous and as realistic as can be. Fire fighting in darkened spaces with real fires involving ladders, multiple compartments and decks even with ‘fear naught’ suits and oxygen taxes one’s strengths.

Bravo Zulu to all involved on Bonnie Dick

Ditto.

I was a damage control repair party leader on USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) 1985-1989. Excellent training. Excellent exercises. Scary as can be to imagine fighting a fire in those spaces. My General Quarters duty station was immediately below the LSO platform.

One time around 1987 we were off the coast of South Carolina doing ASW operations with Bonefish, a diesel submarine. They emergency surfaced due to a fire onboard. They abandoned ship, and we took the crew aboard. They were bedded down on the Mess Decks decks. (On the floor in the Mess Deck.) In the middle of the night came the announcement "fire, fire, fire, there is a class (something) fire in..." Can't imagine walking up to that after escaping a fire underwater.

The XO on JFK when I first reported aboard had been in an F-8 squadron on USS Forrestal when its big fire took place off Viet Nam. Foam was airlifted over from other ships nearby. Forrestal was almost lost due to flooding from fighting the fire. There is nowhere to go when the boat catches fire at sea.

Best wishes to all involved. I've been to that pier long ago.


All times are GMT. The time now is 14:50.


Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.