Given that the Navy likes to eke thirty to sixty years out of vessel tenders, hospital ships or other specialized platforms, rebuilding the burned-out hulk simply wasn’t worth the effort. Given the expense of the stricken high-profile asset—a replacement for the charred USS Bonhomme Richard will cost between $3 billion to $4 billion—the Navy did not dither. About 160 sailors and officers were on board when the flames sent up a … The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) conducts air operations off the western coast of Australian. The Navy also determined it would cost more than $1 billion to repurpose the ship for other … The Navy said Monday that it will decommission a warship docked off San Diego after suspected arson this summer caused extensive damage, making it too expensive to restore. The Navy announced Monday that the fire-ravaged USS Bonhomme Richard will be decommissioned because repairs would cost more than building a new ship. Few in the current Administration will be able to walk away with their reputations—and institutions—intact. … In the end, the third option, scrapping the vessel, was inevitable. The U.S. Navy announced Monday it will decommission, rather than repair or repurpose, the USS Bonhomme Richard because of extensive damage from a fire while the vessel was in port. Five months ago, the Wasp class amphibious assault ship was finishing up a complex refit, and was set to become a small “pocket aircraft carrier,” bringing new F-35B fighter jets to hotspots throughout the globe. In my spare time, I support think-tank studies, It is tough for any Navy leader to decommission a pricy, high-profile asset. USS Bonhomme Richard to Be Scrapped, a Glimpse Inside the Charred Wreckage Posted on December 2, 2020 by Rick Spilman December 2, 2020 The US Navy has decided to scrap the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard , which burned for more than four days this summer in San Diego. The Navy said on Monday that it … After entering office in May 2020, he quickly embraced naval history, bringing back traditional apolitical naming schemes for Navy vessels. 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. The Navy also examined rebuilding the ship for alternate purposes and determined the cost could exceed $1 billion, which is as much or more than a new-construction hospital ship, submarine tender, or command-and-control ship. The Bonhomme Richard was nearing the end of a two-year upgrade estimated to cost $250 million when the fire started. The Navy needs new auxiliary ships, and using the weakened, albeit still a largely military-spec hull as a starting point for a submarine tender or hospital ship was an interesting idea. biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) challenges. Stimulus Funds of $1.6 Billion to Portland Area — Ignores Rural Counties, Pelosi Stutters, Slurs Words and Struggles to Speak as She Fights to Keep Her Dentures in Her Face (VIDEO), Unemployment is no joke. The Navy has decided to decommission the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, due to the extensive damage sustained during the July fire. 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.'. I offer blunt, uncompromising guidance on national security solutions, bringing complex security issues and oft-neglected defense topics to the attention of interested policymakers and the general public. EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Michigan Economic Development Corporation With Forbes Insights, Christmas ‘Dirty Jobs’: Spare A Thought For Air Force Combat Controllers, Donald Trump Is A Nuclear President—His Legacy Is More Nukes, Fewer Controls, With New Gear And Bases, China Is Beginning To Make A Play For Dominance In Antarctica. The ship was left with extensive structural, electrical and mechanical damage. Previously, I served as an And while nobody wants to see such an important vessel meet such an ignominious end, the smart decision was to get the vessel off the books before any other well-meaning stakeholder in the U.S. government could interfere. Sailors and federal firefighters combat a fire onboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard at … Pictured, smoke rises from the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego in San Diego, after an explosion and fire onboard the ship at Naval Base San Diego, On Monday, the Navy said that it will decommission the warship docked off San Diego after suspected arson caused extensive damage, making it too expensive to restore, Helicopters approach the USS Bonhomme Richard as crews fight the fire in San Diego last summer, Pictures taken by @Osinttechnical show the 'extensive damage' caused by the blaze which burned for more than four days off San Diego harbor, More than 160 people had been aboard when the blaze erupted. Naval Institute Proceedings and beyond. Combat Ships and Expeditionary Fast Transports to the U.S. Navy. By ordering the decommissioning and disposal of the fire-ravaged USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) on Monday, Navy Secretary Kenneth J. Braithwaite began the thankless but helpful task of clearing the decks for his eventual successor. In May 2012, a shipyard worker at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard set the USS Miami on fire, and the resulting conflagration consumed a good part of the vessel. The conflagration erupted on USS Bonhomme Richard's lower decks, sending temperatures as high as 1,200 degrees and triggering several explosions as it tore through the ship, The fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard burned for four days. You may opt-out by. This was a decent thing to do, and it reflects well upon the current Navy Secretary. For more than a billion dollars, American taxpayers would have received a balky, infirm vessel capable of potentially 20 years of additional service, when, in turn, a newly built, somewhat shock-hardened and auxiliary-ready variant of the utilitarian LPD-17 hull could be purchased for less. The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship was docked in San Diego when a fire broke out on July 12.It took five days to extinguish the inferno. Aside from the ship's extensive damage and advanced age, evidence would have to be preserved for any prosecution, delaying repair work, he said. Congress leapt into action, offering money to start repairs. But by August 2013, it was clear restoring the stricken sub made neither fiscal nor operational sense, and the USS Miami was sent to the scrapyard. The U.S. Navy decided on Monday to scrap amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) after suffering catastrophic damage in a fire back in July. Well-Intended Stimulus Will Help Airline Employees, But Not For Long, Russia’s Oldest Bomber Now Controls Drones — Here’s What It Might Do With Them, Biden Defense Team Inherits Navy Robotic Warship Research Aimed At Deterring And Defeating China, With Rival American And Chinese Naval Transits Through The Taiwan Strait, The Advanced F-16s Taiwan Is Buying Will Come In Handy, America’s Pre-Biden Gun Spree Outstrips Supplies For AR-15s, Ammo. The USS Bonhomme Richard, which was ravaged by a blaze that began July 12, would cost more than $3 billion to restore, a process that would take between five … The U.S. Navy has announced that it plans to scrap the USS Bonhomme Richard and not repair the amphibious assault ship ravaged by a major fire … The USS Bonhomme Richard cost $750 million to build when it was commissioned back in 1998, which amounts to about $1.2 billion in today's dollars. (28 Photos). A helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 combats a fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard. For all Braithwaite has done in his short tenure, there is no need to replace him right away. The Bonhomme Richard was nearing the end of a two-year upgrade estimated to cost $250 million when the fire started. The USS Bonhomme Richard burned for five days. The Navy has decided it isn't worth the cost and effort to rebuild the 22-year-old Bonhomme Richard, so it will be scrapped. After a five-day conflagration, and with more than sixty percent of the vessel requiring replacement, there was no way the 22-year old ship could be restored in a cost-effective fashion. The USS Bonhomme Richard’s Decommissioning: ... Two, repurpose the ship for a new mission (e.g., hospital ship), which would cost over $1 billion, taking five to seven years to accomplish. USS Bonhomme Richard, its fate uncertain, would be one of largest ships Navy has lost outside of combat. Ver Hage said restoring Bonhomme Richard to its original form would have cost between $2.5 billion and $3.2 billion and taken five to seven years. Even in the best of circumstances, the USS Bonhomme Richard was too old, with half of its service life already gone. Naval Sailors were seen putting on their protective gear as they responded to the fire, Firefighters are pictured looking on, amid thick smoke, as the ship burned, Teams of sailors rotated on 15-minute firefighting shift patterns to tackle the blaze last summer, The Bonhomme Richard was undergoing maintenance when the fire erupted on July 12, 2020, Pentagon will scrap $750million USS Bonhomme Richard after learning it would cost $3 BILLION and seven years to restore after July arson attack, July: Fire teams battle massive blaze on navy ship in San Diego, Threat eases as battle at USS Bonhomme Richard enters day four, Battle against USS Bonhomme Richard fire from up close, Democrat Oregon Governor Allots All of the Govt. The second option, rebuilding the ship for alternative purposes, was still ambitious but, given the circumstances, prudent. Founder and CEO of the Themistocles Advisory Group, I focus on communications and government relations as well as maritime, homeland defense and chemical, About 160 sailors and officers were on board when the flames sent up a huge plume of dark smoke from the 840-foot amphibious assault vessel, which had been docked at Naval Base San Diego while undergoing the upgrade. Given the expense of the stricken high-profile asset—a replacement for the charred USS Bonhomme Richard will cost between $3 billion to $4 billion—the Navy did not dither. © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. Unfortunately, modernization of the two decade-old ship was simply too ambitious. Now, a less ambitious modernization—employing the hull as a barracks ship or as some sort of forward basing auxiliary support hulk—might have offered a marginally better business case, but better, cheaper and probably longer-lived alternatives are available there as well. The Bonhomme Richard was nearing the end of a two-year upgrade estimated to cost $250 million when the fire broke out Sunday. Replacing the ship would cost the Navy billions. The 23-year-old USS Bonhomme Richard is designed to deploy Marines in amphibious assaults. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jeffrey F. Yale U.S. Navy photo by George Doyon “We did not come to this decision lightly,” said SecretaryRead More It is unclear if there are plans to purchase a new ship. The Bonhomme Richard was nearing the end of a two-year upgrade estimated to cost $250 million when the fire started. 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