Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Inhofe
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement on the results of the U.S. Navy investigation into the July 2020 fire USS Bonhomme Richard fire:
“I appreciate the thorough investigation by the Navy to understand the factors leading to the catastrophic inport fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020 and why the fire burned for five days before being extinguished. A frank, unambiguous evaluation was needed to prevent future similar incidents, and the report was clear: the loss of this ship was preventable and should not have happened.
“Suffice it to say, Navy officials had a lot to review because this was a massive failure. A lack of oversight, leadership, training and procedural compliance left sailors unprepared and unable to fight not just this fire, but, as an additional Navy review disclosed, previous fires on other ships. It’s clear the Navy must take immediate and comprehensive corrective actions.
“This situation also highlights the need to expand and revitalize our naval shipbuilding facilities. We don’t have the industrial base to even keep up with the existing shipbuilding plan, let alone account for unforeseen losses like the USS Bonhomme Richard.
“As China increasingly threatens the Indo-Pacific, we certainly can’t afford to lose a large warship from our fleet. I expect the Navy to identify and implement the actions necessary to repair these readiness and leadership gaps.”