- Sep 25, 2001
- 30,160
- 3,300
- 126
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
www.sandiegouniontribune.com
The $1.2 billion warship was a total loss — one of the Navy’s worst peacetime disasters ever — and was sold for scrap.
While a junior sailor faces arson charges, a Navy investigator recommends 36 service leaders also face punishment.
These factors, among others, were among the “repeated failures” the Navy cited.
Sidenote:
In 1964, Viet Cong commandos managed to strap explosives to the USNS Card, a decommissioned carrier used by the Navy with a civilian crew aboard. The resulting attack punched a hole in the hull and sank the Card 48 feet to the bottom of the Saigon port.