A Navy probe found significant failures that led to the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020.
While Ryan Sawyer Mays was charged with setting the fire in late July 2021, the 400-page report, obtained by the USNI News, found that roughly three dozen officers and sailors’ failures either directly or indirectly led to the loss of the ship from the blaze.
ARMY CHIEF PUSHES BACK ON FORMER SOFTWARE CHIEF’S CLAIM US LOST THE TECHNOLOGY BATTLE TO CHINA
The investigation, overseen by former U.S. 3rd Fleet commander Vice Adm. Scott Conn, found that there were widespread failures in training, coordination, communication, and fire preparedness, among other downfalls.
“Although the fire was started by an act of arson, the ship was lost due to an inability to extinguish the fire,” Conn wrote in his investigation, which was completed in April. “In the 19 months executing the ship’s maintenance availability, repeated failures allowed for the accumulation of significant risk and an inadequately prepared crew, which led to an ineffective fire response.”
It also said that the main firefighting foam system was not used as officials tried to put the blaze out because it hadn’t been maintained properly.
U.S. Pacific Command commander Adm. Sam Paparo is now working to determine whether any additional punishments or accountability are needed for the actions that resulted in the loss of the ship.
The Navy was forced to decommission the amphibious assault ship, which burned for days in the San Diego Harbor beginning on July 12, 2020. Officials assessed that it would cost $3 billion and take up to seven years to restore the 22-year-old ship.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Sixty-three personnel, including 40 sailors and 23 civilians, were treated for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation related to the fire and the attempts to quell the flames.
A spokesperson for the U.S. 3rd Fleet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
