Navy decides to scrap USS Bonhomme Richard after fire

[timjake]

The US Navy announced on 30 Nov that it will scrap the USS Bonhomme Richard after the fire in August that burned for several days.

"The damage to the ship from the days-long fire, that at times reached 1,000 degrees, was too much to repair for a ship that had already been in service for almost a quarter of a century, according to the Navy."

Navy Will Decommission Fire-Damaged Bonhomme Richard | Military.com

Navy decides to scrap USS Bonhomme Richard after major fire

"Fully repairing the USS Bonhomme Richard to warfighting capabilities would cost $2.5 billion to $3 billion and take five to seven years, said Rear Adm. Eric H. Ver Hage of the Navy Regional Maintenance Center."

"Ver Hage said about 60% of the ship would likely need to be replaced to have it fully restored, including the flight deck, mast and many levels directly below the flight deck."

"Ver Hage declined to comment Monday on the status of several investigations and he didn't give a timeline for their completion, saying they "will conclude when the time is right.""

 

[vigil617]

Au revoir, Bonhomme Richard. You served long and well.

 

[Telecaster]

Hard to believe 1995 was a quarter century ago.

 

[deadin]

Full circle??
USS Bonhomme Richard LHD-6 named after USS Bonhomme Richard CV-31 (Essex class carrier, 1944). Originally the Bonny Dick (CV-31) was laid down as CV-10 but after the battle of Midway where the USS Yorktown CV-5 (Yorktown class carrier 1937) was lost, it was decided to name the next carrier off the ways would be named Yorktown after CV-5 was sunk. This CV-10 (Essex class carrier 1943) became the USS Yorktown that I served on in 1960-61.


Just a little bit of mundane history........

 

[zzclancy]

I read today a sailor is a person of interest in an arson investigation.

 

[quikdraw67]

I read today a sailor is a person of interest in an arson investigation.

If it is indeed determined to be arson, I'd venture to say that is the most expensive case of it in history.

 

[delcrossv]

If it is indeed determined to be arson, I'd venture to say that is the most expensive case of it in history.

Reminds me of the Miami. Also too expensive to fix.

USS Miami (SSN-755) - Wikipedia

 

[Baggy Wrinkle]

The submarine USS Miami (SSN-755) suffered a similar fate to the Bonhomme Richard when it caught fire at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard while undergoing overhaul. That fire was found to be arson and like the Bonny Dick it was determined to be too expensive to repair. The Miami is now awaiting being taken apart for recycling. Since it is nuclear powered its dismantling will be far more complicated than the Bonny Dick.

 

[Protocall_Design]

It seems to me, that amount of money would be far better invested in a new ship with more modern everything. Apparently that is the conclusion the Navy came to, as well.

There have been huge advancements in electronics, communications, weaponry, matallurgy, and a host of other significant fields since the time that ship was built. It would probably be a lot harder to incorporate all the new advantages in a structure not previously designed for them than a new design engineered for those specific features.

 

[Rudi]

If it was arson, which I think it was, the guy needs to charged with treason, convicted, and shot.

 

[Fishslayer]

Nobody I know is really surprised...

 

[Texas Star]

Nobody I know is really surprised...

I was surprised. I thought this was about John Paul Jones's ship that must have been on display like Old Ironsides.

Really...

What happened to that Bonny Dick, that dueled HMS Serapis?
I think it barely reached France?

Did any of you see the old movie with Robert Stack as Jones? Quite good, about the first US Navy hero.

"I have not yet begun to fight."

 

[31FordA]

The original Bonhomme Richard sank following her engagement with the Serapis. John Paul Jones and crew transferred to their prize the Serapis. Bonhomme Richard was a converted French merchantmen that was already past her prime when the French sold her to us. The Marine's aboard were actually from the Irish regiments in the French army, the legendary "Wild Geese".

I'm not surprised they decided to scrap the most recent Bonhomme Richard, that was a very intense fire. We still have a few mothballed amphibs they could put back in service to take her place until a new ship can be built. Then again they may simply use this opportunity to shrink the Navy a little more.

 

[Fishslayer]

I was surprised. I thought this was about John Paul Jones's ship that must have been on display like Old Ironsides.

I live in San Diego. It was a big deal here with constant coverage.

Fire like that melts, warps and alters the metallurgy of steel. It was pretty obvious early on that there was simply no way to rebuild all of it.

I was on a similar ship USS Peleliu(LHA-5) and we had a door in the island structure that nobody could ever get to close perfectly. Legend was that some warpage had occurred from cold during a North Pacific deployment.