She's clearly listing a bit to starboard
From The War Zone blog:
Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck addressed reporters at 11:00 AM local time in San Diego to provide new information on the ongoing fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) that has now burned continuously for 27 hours. The press conference follows a terrible night for the ship, which saw the fire expand to its bridge and greater island superstructure, partially melting its upper forward portion. The ship now lists at the pier as firefighting efforts continue at a frantic pace from both the air and the ground.
From The War Zone blog:
Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck addressed reporters at 11:00 AM local time in San Diego to provide new information on the ongoing fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) that has now burned continuously for 27 hours. The press conference follows a terrible night for the ship, which saw the fire expand to its bridge and greater island superstructure, partially melting its upper forward portion. The ship now lists at the pier as firefighting efforts continue at a frantic pace from both the air and the ground.
- It is thought that two decks separate the fire from the ship's fuel reserves. The Admiral says the Navy is doing everything they can to make sure it doesn't migrate there.
- No welding was reported in the area of the fire when it broke out.
- At least significant parts of the automated halon firefighting systems were offline at the time of the fire. Enhanced pier-side fire watch readiness posture was supposedly in place.
- 415 Bambi Buckets of water have been dropped on the ship by three MH-60S Seahawks from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Three (HSC-3) based out of nearby Naval Air Station North Island.
- 160 people were on the ship when the fire began.
- 400 sailors are now involved with fighting the fire aboard the ship.
- The area where the fire started, which was the lower vehicle storage area, was filled with cardboard, rags, drywall, and other combustible material.
- The fire is producing temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees.
- Extreme heat in and under the island and in the bow.
- There is a list that they are trying to correct via dewatering as part of a larger balancing act of keeping the ship stable while also fighting the fire
- Five remain hospitalized and in stable condition out of 57 that have been treated at the hospital.
- There is burn damage throughout the skin of the ship.
- Due to the ship undergoing maintenance, there is debris scattered throughout the passageways of the ship making it challenging to safely fight the fire.
- There are no plans to let the ship burn down to the waterline.
- The Admiral is not aware of the fire being in the ship's critical engineering spaces.
- Crews are keeping a close eye on the environmental air quality and so far it has been within EPA limits.
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