The US landing ship tilted due to firefighting water 3
After a fierce fire broke out on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, which was moored for maintenance at San Diego military port, California, the US Navy deployed tugboats to continuously spray water into an aircraft hangar.
After two days of firefighters spraying water non-stop, the amount of water accumulated inside the amphibious ship’s hull was so great that it caused the warship to tilt to the right, said Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3.
Even though sailors were mobilized aboard the Richard to pump the water out, photos taken today show the ship still tilting to the starboard side, while black smoke rose from inside the ship’s hull.
A helicopter prepares to pour water to extinguish a fire on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, which is tilting to the starboard side in San Diego, California, on July 13.
Rear Admiral Sobeck had to admit that the ship’s superstructure had collapsed under the intense heat of the fire and `the fire was penetrating everything inside the ship`.
When asked whether the Richard could be saved, Rear Admiral Sobeck said `the first priority is to put out the fire` and then assessed the damage of the fire.
The fire broke out on the morning of July 12, when the Bonhomme Richard was docked at the San Diego naval base for maintenance.
Rear Admiral Sobeck confirmed that the fire is only two floors away from the Richard’s oil tank, and firefighters are `doing everything` to ensure the fire does not spread to that area.
The battleship Bonhomme Richard, named after the French translation of the phrase `Misery Richard`, the pen name of former US president Benjamin Franklin, is one of eight US Wasp-class amphibious assault ships.
The long flight deck on the amphibious assault ship Richard is more than 240 meters long, with a crew of 1,200 people including navy soldiers and marines.
