The US Navy has established the cause of the fire on the universal landing ship (UDC) USS Bonhomme Richard. The unsatisfactory technical condition of the ship and the low level of training of the crew led to a fire, writes the portal Janes.
The publication notes that "a combination of random factors" led to the fire. In particular, Navy specialists noted the inadequate quality of the ship's maintenance, which was aggravated by the low level of crew training. Also, the causes of the fire were attributed to the erroneous actions of the ship's captain and representatives of the coastal services of the US Navy.
On the evening of July 12, 2020, information appeared about a fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard. Extinguishing lasted until July 17. The cost of work on the restoration of the ship, which burned out by 65 percent, was estimated at $ 3 billion. This amount was three times higher than the cost of building the UDC, so the restoration was abandoned.
Before the fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard, work began on converting the ship into a light aircraft carrier. As a carrier of F-35B Lightning II fighters, the ship could serve until 2035.
The universal landing ship USS Bonhomme Richard became the sixth vessel of the Wasp type. The ship was accepted into the US Navy in 1998. UDC of this type can carry up to 20 F-35B Lightning II aircraft. The ship's armament includes artillery systems and anti-aircraft missiles.
In August, the US Navy completed tests of the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford with underwater explosions. At the last stage of the tests, the explosion power at the side of the ship was 18 tons in TNT equivalent. The tests were recorded as an earthquake of magnitude 3.9.
Daniil Irinin