OT: Bonhomme Richard Fire

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: fcooke

She is toast. Cheaper to build a new one. Or just let the fleet have one fewer. Still surprised harbor craft could not come out and cover her in water.

There was a fire boat spraying water into the hangar deck, but that doesn't help with fires below that level. In an enclosed hold I guess it doesn't take much fuel to build to the 1000ºF point, anything flammable touching the other side of the compartment bulkhead/deck/deck head would also ignite. Every time firefighters enter an enclosed furnace like that the rush of air coming in can touch off the flashover fire of superheated gasses that just need oxygen to ignite fiercely. Nasty work to fight those.

[Shellshock]

I've been reading reports that the island and mast of the Bonhomme Richard were made of aluminum. Which surprise me. Seems like if you have an aluminum super structure over a steel hull, you have an aluminum smelter waiting to happen. That certainly seems to have been the fate of the missile frigate USS Belknap after her collision with the carrier John F Kennedy in 1975 in the Mediterranean where the entire "mack" melted down.



Shortly after this tragedy, the Navy announced that it would, henceforth, have future ships built from steel, not aluminum. Although officials did not directly link the decision to the collision, the timing seems to indicate that the accident was a factor in the change.

Remarkably, the Belknap was taken to the Philadelphia Naval Yard, and over the next four years it was completely refurbished and restored. By 1986, it was a flagship, and one positive footnote in its history is that it served as a base for George H. W. Bush when he attended the Malta Summit in 1989.

[RangerJoe]

A British ship was hit by a missile in the South Atlantic and the fire could not be put out becausethe superstructure was aluminium.

[Q-Ball]

According to the Wall St. Journal, Naval Officials fear she is a total loss. They seemed pretty confident of that in the article.

[Yaab]

I hope am I not being too crude, but I cannot escape an impression that the ships's name somehow changed to Bonfire Richard.

[JohnDillworth]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

I hope am I not being too crude, but I cannot escape an impression that the ships's name somehow changed to Bonfire Richard.

Made me spit my tea out

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

ORIGINAL: Yaab

I hope am I not being too crude, but I cannot escape an impression that the ships's name somehow changed to Bonfire Richard.

Made me spit my teeth out

There, I edited that for you!

[fcooke]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

A British ship was hit by a missile in the South Atlantic and the fire could not be put out becausethe superstructure was aluminium.

I think that was the HMS Sheffield. IIRC the exocet didn't even explode but ruptured water lines that made fighting the aluminum fires difficult, with the leftover fuel from the missile causing the fires.

[Jaroen]

This article offers some clarification on port repair trouble:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3 ... hange-that

Have a good read

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Jaroen

This article offers some clarification on port repair trouble:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3 ... hange-that

Have a good read

That is very good. Thank you.

[Anachro]

According to USNI News, the fire is now extinguished:

LINK

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Anachro

According to USNI News, the fire is now extinguished:

LINK

Thank you for posting that.

[fcooke]

Is there a next class of assault carriers in the pipe? If so, likely a better investment than repairing the BHR.

[RangerJoe]

If not, there probably should be. It looks like the hull became very warm and that can weaken the steel.

[RangerJoe]

Meet the USS Tripoli: The Navy's Newest Amphibious Assault Ship

he U.S. Navy has commissioned its second new America-class Amphibious Assault Ship, a move intended to help America win in a modern threat environment. Today, the Navy is incorporating longer-range air attack, ocean drones, advanced sensors and new weapons. These are all figuring more prominently in the Navy’s developing amphibious warfare tactics and strategies.

The USS Tripoli, called LHA 7, is like its predecessor the USS America designed to optimize new aviation assets such as the F-35B and upgraded Osprey helicopters.

Currently, a third America-class amphibious assault ship, the LHA 8, is being built and it also incorporates the return of a more traditional well-deck for ship-to-shore ocean amphibious assaults. However, the first two ships of the America-class have been deliberately designed to maximize air attack, air supremacy and drone coordination as part of a specific response to newer, long-range weapons and sensors threats posed by adversaries.
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https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... hip-164889

[The Gnome]

ORIGINAL: fcooke

The USN has not had a good run recently. Collisions and now this. I am beginning to wonder about the training standards.

Yeah from the outside looking in this doesn't instill very much confidence. Standards definitely seem to be slipping.

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: The Gnome

ORIGINAL: fcooke

The USN has not had a good run recently. Collisions and now this. I am beginning to wonder about the training standards.

Yeah from the outside looking in this doesn't instill very much confidence. Standards definitely seem to be slipping.

Get back to a larger Navy so operations aren't as intensive for an individual ship and there can be more training. Bring back the draft! Beer, that is!

[The Gnome]

Back the Brew!

[fcooke]

The good beer from the Brew City, not some of the other stuff. Apologies in advance to folks who think some of that stuff is real beer.

[RangerJoe]

I like the Bavarian Bier Laws.