Bonhomme Richard was being modified for F-35B

[edpop]

It only took days for a fire to hinder the US Navy's Pacific fleet for years to come

A massive blaze aboard a billion-dollar US Navy warship has been extinguished after raging for four days -- but its effect might be felt across America's Pacific Fleet for years.

Navy officials said the fire aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship undergoing maintenance and upgrades at a port in San Diego, was put out last Thursday. Reaching temperatures up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit (about 650 degrees Celsius), it melted aluminum and incinerated wiring, plastics and combustibles like drywall, bedding and office supplies, while filling the 850-foot (260-meter) vessel with thick smoke.

[...]

Either way, the long-term impacts are significant. The Bonhomme Richard, which resembles a baby aircraft carrier, was being upgraded to accommodate some of the newest and most sophisticated warplanes in the US arsenal, Marine Corps F-35Bs.

It was to be one of only four ships in the US fleet with the ability to handle the F-35Bs -- meaning its absence will be felt.

[...]

More: https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/19/asia/us- ... index.html

[spazsinbad]

Melting Decks Anyone? OR is that too soon? Beuhler? Anyone? Glad no lives lost nor serious injuries. BZ Fire Fighters ALL.

[aussiebloke]

The CNN article states:

It was to be one of only four ships in the US fleet with the ability to handle the F-35Bs -- meaning its absence will be felt.

USNI News though says that five Wasp-class ships have been modified if you include USS Bonhomme Richard. With the addition of USS America that would make USS Bonhomme Richard “one of only six ships in the US fleet with the ability to handle the F-35Bs” (ignoring USS Tripoli which won’t do its initial deployment for some time).

December 6, 2018 USNI News:

Of the nine big-deck amphibious ships in the U.S. inventory, only Wasp, the currently deployed USS Essex (LHD-2) and USS America (LHA-6) have launched and recovered Marine F-35Bs at sea. USS Makin Island (LHD-8) began an availability last year that would upgrade the ship to operate the fighters, USS Boxer (LHD-4) underwent a similar maintenance availability that completed in 2017 and Bonhomme Richard is set to start a maintenance period that would add that capability to the big deck.

https://news.usni.org/2018/12/06/uss-wa ... deployment

[aussiebloke]

I should have checked....

USNI News is wrong about USS Boxer getting an upgrade in 2017 to support F-35B operations:

The US Navy’s 25-year old amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) will be able to support and operate the F-35B Joint Strike Fighters on-board after its upgrade by BAE Systems in 2021.

Starting June this year, BAE Systems will drydock and perform nearly 18 months of maintenance and modernization work aboard the USS Boxer under a $200.3 million contract by the US Navy announced Thursday.

The drydocking of USS Boxer will be the first time the company’s San Diego shipyard will use its 950-foot-long Pride of California drydock to service a large-deck warship.

BAE Systems’ San Diego shipyard will begin working aboard the 843-foot-long USS Boxer in June 2020. Under the contract, BAE Systems will upgrade the ship to support and operate Joint Strike Fighters on-board; perform hull, tank and mechanical work; and make other shipboard improvements.

The shipyard is expected to complete its work aboard the 25-year-old ship in December 2021. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $207.48 million.

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/26660 ... xVl0i1ruhA

[madrat]

Any word on the cause of the accident?

I cannot help but to think how a chinese counterpart had a similar burnout in April. Seems awfully coincidental.

[mor10]

Ships often burn during shipyard stays. Often caused by welding on or close to a bulkhead, and the space/room behind bulkhead catches fire. It happened to one ship I used to work on. Delayed the exit from the yard by several months, but I got a much better cabin as a result.

[jessmo112]

So the only ships that we have that can deploy F-35s are wasp class?
No wonder why the Chinese are trash talking so much.

The carriers USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan are currently running dual carrier maneuvers in the South China Sea for the second time in as many weeks. Neither ship can deploy with Navy F-35Cs, a capability no big deck carrier will have until the 36-year old USS Carl Vinson wraps up its $34 million refit in Bremerton, in 2021.

The Navy would likely incurr heavy losses trying to set up a cap or securing a secure airspace for tankers.
The Super Hornet is effectively out classed or matched by the J-20, Su-30 and Su-35. The navy needs to pull its head of Boeings @** and get more 5th generation fighters on board.

[marauder2048]

Another "draft dodger" lover heard from. I bet you and Trump have matching bone spurs.

Biden dodged on the basis of asthma during an era where the regs were not very strict.

It's clear from many accounts that if an asthmatic wanted to serve during the Vietnam era there was no practical bar.

Post-1994, (as a result of 800 asthmatic soldiers evacuated during GW1) any history of asthma will disqualify you.

As a fellow asthmatic, I will tell you that it it can be an awful condition. But also that it is sometimes a
convenient condition in that you can get out of many things you don't want to do.

On a topical note: asthmatics want warm, moist air which is the last thing an OBOGS designer wants to give you.
But a recent paper on IAF pilots shows that modern, long lasting anti-asthma inhalants had no long term
impacts and prevented any in-flight issues.

[spazsinbad]

"...But a recent paper on IAF pilots shows that modern, long lasting anti-asthma inhalants had no long term impacts and prevented any in-flight issues." Got a link for that info please. Interesting news from aero-medical viewpoint. Thanks.

[marauder2048]

"...But a recent paper on IAF pilots shows that modern, long lasting anti-asthma inhalants had no long term impacts and prevented any in-flight issues." Got a link for that info please. Interesting news from aero-medical viewpoint. Thanks.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16909878/

The latest (June 2020) USAF thinking (starting page 68) is also attached.

[weasel1962]

This incident could have been non issue on Sunday night. Unlucky.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... day-night/

[spazsinbad]

"...But a recent paper on IAF pilots shows that modern, long lasting anti-asthma inhalants had no long term impacts and prevented any in-flight issues." Got a link for that info please. Interesting news from aero-medical viewpoint. Thanks.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16909878/

The latest (June 2020) USAF thinking (starting page 68) is also attached.

Thanks for that info.

[jessmo112]

I noted in another thread that the F-35B needs a good maritime weapon.
Is there any anti-ship weapon in the pipeline that can fit in A BEE and give you the option of not flying directly over said target?

[madrat]

Ships often burn during shipyard stays. Often caused by welding on or close to a bulkhead, and the space/room behind bulkhead catches fire. It happened to one ship I used to work on. Delayed the exit from the yard by several months, but I got a much better cabin as a result.

That's an interesting take on it.

[spazsinbad]

Less politics, please. Geo-politics dealing with the F-35B is not the same as the politics you all ventured off into.

Agree.