The fire suppression system aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard was not operating and was under maintenance at the time that the ship caught fire.
Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, the commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3, told the Hill on Monday that the Halon gas system “was not in operation just because it was being worked on” while the Bonhomme Richard was in the shipyard undergoing maintenance. Halon gas, or bromotrifluoromethane, is a chemical fire suppressant that is used on Naval vessels in order to contain blazes.
About 160 people were onboard when a fire began in the lower cargo hold of the 840-foot amphibious assault ship Sunday at about 9 a.m. local time. The blaze has been burning for more than 24 hours and was still going into Monday evening. At least 36 sailors and 23 civilians were treated for various injuries, including smoke inhalation. Five people still remain hospitalized.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday called the fire a “terrible tragedy” in a Sunday night statement released on Twitter.
“We are grateful for the quick and immediate response of local, base, and shipboard firefighters aboard USS Bonhomme Richard. Our thoughts and prayers are with our BHR Sailors, their families, and our emergency responders who continue to fight the fire. Godspeed,” Gilday said.
Despite the massive inferno, there is still hope that the ship will be salvageable after the fire is extinguished.
“I feel absolutely hopeful,” Sobeck said at a livestreamed Monday afternoon news conference.
