Bonhomme Richard Fire

VCNO: Naval Safety Command Will Function Like INSURV and Assess Safety Performance

An MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter from the Merlins of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 provides aerial firefighting support to fight the fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) on July 14, 2020. US Navy Photo

The Navy wants its new two-star safety command to evaluate risk and safety in a similar way to how the service looks at the health of its ships, the number-two officer told Congress today.

Adm. Bill Lescher, the vice chief of naval operations, compared the...

https://news.usni.org/2022/03/03/vcno-naval-safety-command-will-function-like-insurv-and-asses-safety-preformance

Navy to Court-Martial Sailor Accused of Arson in 2020 Bonhomme Richard Fire; Hearing Officer Advised No Trial, Says Attorney

USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) sits pier side at Naval Base San Diego on July 16, 2020. US Navy Photo

A junior sailor will be tried at a general court-martial on charges that he intentionally started a fire that grew into a raging blaze in 2020 that burned the former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) for days, the Navy announced Friday.

The U.S. 3rd Fleet commander, Vice Adm. Stephen Koehler, on Wednesday formally referred two charges – of arson and hazarding a vehicle – against Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays...

https://news.usni.org/2022/02/25/navy-to-court-martial-sailor-accused-of-arson-in-2020-bonhomme-richard-fire-hearing-officer-advised-no-trial-says-attorney

Navy Formally Stands Up Naval Safety Command

Rear Adm. F.R. Luchtman, right, reports to Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Michael Gilday, as he assumes command of the Naval Safety Command during the establishment ceremony for the Naval Safety Command on Feb. 4, 2022, in Norfolk, Va. US Navy Photo

The Navy has a new command after the Naval Safety Center was formally converted into the Naval Safety Command on Friday morning.

The Naval Safety Command is a two-star command, which will focus on ensuring the service’s health and well-being. The...

https://news.usni.org/2022/02/04/navy-formally-stands-up-naval-safety-command

Experts Criticize ATF, Navy Finding on Cause of Bonhomme Richard Fire; Case Against Sailor Pending U.S. 3rd Fleet Decision

A San Diego Federal Fire firefighter rests after combating a fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) on July 12, 2020. US Navy Photo

SAN DIEGO – An expert in electrical engineering told a Navy court that an electrical short in a forklift or some faulty batteries could have sparked the fire that ultimately scuttled the former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), countering the Navy’s acceptance from a federal fire investigation that a disgruntled sailor deliberately set it.

A...

ATF Investigator: Bonhomme Richard Fire Deliberately Set, No Direct Physical Evidence Points to Accused Sailor

Fire aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) at Naval Base San Diego on July 12, 2020. US Navy Photo

SAN DIEGO – The fire that eventually destroyed much of the former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) likely was deliberately set to ignite cardboard boxes in a stowage area packed with assorted items that fire investigators ruled out as the ignition source, a federal fire investigator testified in a Navy court Monday.

Matthew Beals, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and...

https://news.usni.org/2021/12/14/atf-investigator-bonhomme-richard-fire-deliberately-set-no-direct-physical-evidence-points-to-accused-sailor

Hearing Begins for Junior Sailor Charged in USS Bonhomme Richard Fire 

Sailors rest after firefighting on the morning of July 13, 2020 aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). US Navy Photo

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Navy prosecutors will make their case to a military officer this week as to why a junior sailor should be court-martialed on charges that he deliberately set the 2020 fire that eventually gutted former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) and intentionally put others in danger at Naval Base San Diego.

Seaman Apprentice Ryan S. Mays is charged with willful hazarding of a...

https://news.usni.org/2021/12/13/hearing-begins-for-junior-sailor-charged-in-uss-bonhomme-richard-fire