Navy conducts fire drills to ensure successful integration for any incident,” Norman said. “When a Navy ship is undergoing retrofit/maintenance at NASSCO, NASSCO’s Fire Department in collaboration with the U.S. The shipyard, according to Crystal Norman, a NASSCO spokesperson, is well equipped and ready to fight fires. The ship transferred from NASSCO’s yard to its berth at Naval Base San Diego in December 2019 - a move investigators said “significantly” changed the fire safety posture of the vessel. Much of that time the Bonhomme Richard was undergoing its upgrades had been spent in the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard adjacent to Naval Base San Diego. (Department of the Navy/For The San Diego Union-Tribune) The ship was also in six-section duty, meaning that on the weekends, only one-sixth of its crew was on board at any given time. The vessel was cluttered with vents and hoses, which obstructed firefighters and prevented sailors from setting fire and smoke boundaries, investigators said. The Bonhomme Richard was nearing the end of a two-year, $250 million maintenance and upgrade period when it caught fire - something that contributed to the destructiveness of the blaze. “The Fire-Rescue Department feels confident that once their review is complete, they will make the appropriate changes,” Pittam said. If there are other safety deficits like this one - learned from previous investigations that apply here - we need to fix those, too, both to keep our sailors and communities safe and to protect these billion-dollar investments funded by the taxpayers.”Ĭourtney Pittam, a spokesperson for San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, said that while the mayor isn’t in touch with the Navy on the issue, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department believes the Navy will make any needed changes. “I’m surprised, though, that this had not already been established from lessons learned from previous fires. “If they need funds to build or enhance facilities, then they should tell Congress and we’ll work to fill the void,” said Daniela Contreras, a spokesperson for Peters. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, also said it would support the Navy in improving its San Diego facilities. Vargas represents the communities most impacted by the effects of the fire - Barrio Logan and National City. “I am interested in hearing the Navy’s plans, and stand ready to support what they need to prepare for, or prevent, similar events in the future.” ![]() Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, in a statement. “The fire aboard the Bonhomme Richard destroyed the vessel, and also had residual effects of smoke and poor air quality for weeks in the neighboring communities I represent,” said Rep. The report’s recommendation acknowledges that is will cost money to make the improvements - something two local congressional representatives said they’re ready to support. The service also declined the Union-Tribune’s request to interview any of its leaders about the infrastructure shortcomings of its San Diego piers. The Navy did not respond to questions about what those mitigations and temporary systems are or whether they’ve been installed in San Diego. New report highlights the Navy’s inability to implement ‘enduring change’ after ship fires Military Lessons of Navy ship blazes are ‘lost,’ leading to more disasters like Bonhomme Richard
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