… New Orleans is part of the US Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious force based in Sasebo, Japan, according to media reports.
This is not the first time a US amphibious warship caught fire. In 2020, a fire aboard the former big deck amphibious warship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) burned for four days, resulting in the loss of the ship. The Navy subsequently overhauled how the service fights fires in port, reported USNI News.
This incident reveals the loopholes in the damage control system and the sailors’ damage control capabilities on this US Navy warship, said Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert. “US Navy ships, including dock landing ships and amphibious assault ships, tend to have long service lives and undergo frequent personnel training. However, inadequate maintenance and support can lead to recurring malfunctions, resulting in fires. And a fire on a warship is potentially a catastrophic issue,” Song told the Global Times on Thursday.
The USS Bonhomme Richard fire was unusual in that there was a skeleton crew (which can increase the detection interval and decrease short-term response) and disabled internal services coupled with a coordination nightmare for responding base and civilian crews.
None of those excuses apply to an underway ship like USS New Orleans.
Arguably, the real telling factor about the loss of the USS Bonhomme Richard while tied up at a dock in the US Naval Base in San Diego was the aftermath –
Number of senior officers prosecuted, demoted, fired: 0
Number of lowest-level sailors prosecuted: 1
The poor guy whom all those Admirals tried to blame for the loss of a $Billion warship was tried in military court, but eventually found not guilty. The whole affair was an inversion of responsibility. If that had been a Japanese ship, the Captain and the Admiral who appointed him would both have committed seppuku.
And if the Navy actually had a lowly sailor who could single-handedly destroy a $Billion warship, they should have put him in charge of the Navy’s offensive capabilities!
“The heaviest penalties fell on Thoroman and Ray, who were each fined $5,000 and given written reprimands for their role in the fire.”
Thanks for digging that out. The last I had heard about it was about the trial of the poor Able Seaman.
On the other hand, if it takes the Navy 2 years to hand out the heavy penalty of an actual “written reprimand” to officers who clearly failed in their duty … all I can say is that this Navy is as fearsome as a 6 week old kitten. Remember the days when the British Royal Navy would shoot an Admiral for the unforgiveable failure to pursue a defeated enemy aggressively enough?