USS Bonhomme Richard Aerial Firefighters Aid Response
by Ryan Mason The Navy’s USS Bonhomme Richard was well alight as aerial firefighters were called in to help extinguish the blaze aboard the amphibious assault ship docked in San Diego. The vessel had recently completed a retrofit that would see the ship able to accommodate the Navy’s fleet’s latest aircraft, the F-35. The Navy reported that aerial firefighting efforts conducted by MH-60G helicopters equipped with Bambi Buckets reached a staggering 1,500 drops since firefighting operations began. It is believed that an explosion triggered a fire that continued to burn for four days below decks onboard USS Bonhomme Richard that the Navy states after investigations began, has damaged 11 of the 14 decks on the ship. The fire injured 63 personnel, 40 Sailors, and 23 civilians that have been treated for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
Operations from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 continued throughout the four days it took to extinguish the flames to aid the cooling of the superstructure and flight deck of the ship, which enabled fire crews to get on board to fight the fire internally. Pictures released by the Navy taken on board the helicopters fighting the fire from above show substantial damage to the ship’s upper deck. Several large holes in the deck now expose the deck below, which currently offers crews the aircraft’s ability to penetrate below decks with water drops. “There is no threat to the fuel tanks, which is well-below any active fires or heat sources. The ship is stable, and the structure AF 28 | aerialfiremag.com
is safe. We still have an active fire, which we combat both within and outside the ship from multiple access points. HSC 3 helicopters have conducted more than 1,000 helicopter water bucket drops, which is cooling the superstructure and flight deck enabling fire crews to get on board internally to fight the fire. Tugs are also provide firefighting support from the waterline. I’m proud of the toughness of the Sailors and Federal Firefighters for making this significant progress possible. At this time, there are 61 personnel, 38 U.S. Navy Sailors and 23 civilians, have been treated for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. Currently, there are no personnel hospitalized. Going forward, the Navy will do a thorough investigation of the incident to include assessing the cause of the fire and damage to the ship, but right now, our focus remains on putting out the fire and keeping people safe. I’d like to also thank our partners from state and county as well as the Coast Guard for monitoring the potential impacts to the environment.” Said Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck, Expeditionary Strike Group Three commander, in a press conference July 14th, 2020 detailing the Navy response to the incident. Although the incident is still under investigation, there have been several media outlets reporting that sources state that the investigation is now pursuing leads that may indicate arson as the potential cause, with one outlet saying that a sailor who has not been identified has been interviewed in relation to the fire.
