When it comes to shipboard fires, the Navy isn’t learning from its mistakes.
That’s the central message of a fleet commanders’ report released Wednesday that looked at 15 fires occurring over a 12-year period, culminating with the July 2020 blaze in San Diego that damaged the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard so severely it was decommissioned. The report was issued the same day as a massive investigation into the missteps that allowed the 844-foot Bonhomme Richard to burn for almost five days.
“In each fire,” the 60-page report concludes, “adherence to existing fire safety requirements at the time of the incident would have prevented the fire or, at a minimum, lessened the severity of the damage.”
It said many of the problems persist, contributing to what it called “a current state of elevated risk” when it comes to fires. It made more than 50 recommendations for improvement.
The assessment by a “Major Fires Review” panel is a companion piece to the investigation of the Bonhomme Richard disaster, which was also released Wednesday.
It identified a dozen issues preventing the Navy from implementing “enduring change,” including no central organization with the resources and authority to gather information about fires, recommend fixes, and enforce new standards.
“Lessons learned are not effectively collected and are lost over time,” according to the report.
Bonhomme Richard fire burned unabated for 2 hours, Navy finds, blaming top officers and crew
While a junior sailor faces arson charges, a Navy investigator recommends 36 service leaders also face punishment
It also said there was an ongoing “lack of appreciation for the hazards” associated with ships undergoing repairs, when staffing is lower and the amount of combustible materials is higher. Thirteen of the 15 fires studied in the report occurred during maintenance.
A similar finding was made after a fire in 2012 ravaged the Miami, a nuclear submarine in dry-dock in Maine. The Navy issued a 200-page study and put in place policies and procedures for safeguarding ships during repairs.
Within days of the Bonhomme Richard fire, Navy officials were openly wondering if the shortcomings identified on the Miami had played a role here, too.
“Did we fully and adequately implement those recommendations?” Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, asked in an interview with Defense News back then. “When we completed the investigation, did we just leave it in the rear-view mirror or did we no-kidding take it seriously?”
The answer, according to the new report: rear-view mirror.
“Historical analysis of the 15 events revealed that ships continue to be less than fully prepared for the maintenance environment, the phase at which the risk of fire is the greatest,” it concludes. As part of the study, the panel made 38 visits to ships and found “lingering shortfalls” in the implementation of safety measures there, too.
Authorities have blamed both the Miami and Bonhomme Richard fires on arson, and the report says that’s an ongoing threat that should be taken more seriously. It pointed to data provided by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service showing 50 reported or suspected arsons on board ships from 2009-2021, about four per year.
“Arson and gross negligence such as careless or unauthorized smoking are extremely difficult to prevent but do represent a significant problem, particularly during duty-section only hours when detection and response capability and capacity are significantly reduced,” the report says. “The Navy currently lacks a formal approach to addressing this specific insider threat.”
Among the report’s other findings:
In releasing the report Wednesday, Navy officials said they are creating a new, permanent oversight board to make sure, this time, lessons are learned. And remembered.
Get Essential San Diego, weekday mornings
Get top headlines from the Union-Tribune in your inbox weekday mornings, including top news, local, sports, business, entertainment and opinion.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Safeguarding Ukraine’s cultural treasures from war’s collateral damage
Groups rallying for Ukraine smaller, but still spirited
From the Archives: Baseball’s Opening Day a rite of spring
Budding inventors showcase their ideas for ‘impactful change’
Chula Vista church becomes a way station for Ukrainians seeking refuge in the U.S.
Fences and bulletproof windows: How security grants are being used to harden houses of worship
Secretary of Veterans Affairs highlights renaming of San Diego’s VA Medical Center during visit
Renaming of VA Medical Center will honor fallen San Diego Army nurse Capt. Jennifer Moreno from Logan Heights
San Diego special operations sailor dies training with Marines in Hawaii
Lt. j.g. Aaron Fowler, 29, became “unresponsive” while training at the Corps’ Reconnaissance Leaders Course on Sunday, Navy says
The unseen scars of those who kill via remote control
Capt. Kevin Larson was one of the best drone pilots in the U.S. Air Force. Yet as the job weighed on him and untold others, the military failed to recognize its full impact. After a drug arrest and court martial, he fled into the California wilderness.
California man who sold pills that killed Marine pleads guilty to federal drug charges
A Sylmar man who sold fentanyl-laced pills that killed a U.S. Marine pleaded guilty to federal drug charges Friday, officials confirmed.
Reporter’s Notebook: Navy lingo complicates ‘Fat Leonard’ bribery trial
Evidence and witness testimony in trial of five naval officers is an alphabet soup of military jargon
Pentagon looks to vastly expand weapons as Ukraine ambassador meets with General Atomics
The San Diego-based maker of Predator and Reaper drones said it is ‘exploring options’ for supporting Ukraine after meeting with that country’s U.S. ambassador
Sheriff’s deputies arrest kidnapping suspect in North County
Catalytic converter thieves hit Prius owner in Chula Vista for second time
Motorcyclist killed in crash near Lakeside identified
San Marcos woman dies three days after being struck by pickup in Carlsbad
Pedestrian, 19, killed on Interstate 15 near Scripps Ranch ID’d
Patrick Henry High pauses elimination of some, but not all, advanced courses that were cut
San Diego special operations sailor dies training with Marines in Hawaii
Daily COVID-19 case totals jump; local mass transit drops mask requirements
San Diego city leaders raise concerns about proposal to switch city to ‘instant runoff’ voting
40-unit project for homeless people planned for Mid-City
Opinion: Will San Diego’s Tailgate Park sale be the next Ash Street debacle?
Opinion: What we choose to eat can help save planet
Meet the candidates for California’s 48th Congressional District
Privacy Policy Terms of Service Sign Up For Our Newsletters