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2020-07-16 -Land of the Free

As Bonhomme Richard Burns, Navy Commissions New Amphibious Assault Ship

[Times of San Diego] As the USS Bonhomme Richard continued to burn at Naval Base San Diego, the Navy on Wednesday commissioned a new amphibious assault ship that will be based in San Diego.

The USS Tripoli, the second ship in the America-class, is an improvement over the Wasp-class Bonhomme Richard. The new 46,000 ton warship is small aircraft carrier, capable of carrying over 30 aircraft, including helicopters, MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors and the new F-35B vertical-takeoff stealth fighter.

The commissioning at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Mississippi was virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic, though the Navy plans a future public event.

"Tripoli is an example of the continued investment in our Navy, to increase and maintain our edge on the battlefield," said Rear Adm. Philip E. Sobeck. "Congratulations to Tripoli's crew for all of your hard work, amidst these challenging times, to reach this milestone. We welcome you to the amphibious force, of combat-ready ships and battle-minded crews to go to sea and support sustained combat operations."

Sobeck, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 3, briefed the media in San Diego on Tuesday about progress in fighting the raging fire on the Bonhomme Richard.

The new warship's name commemorates the Marines who captured the city of Derna, Libya, in 1805 to end the First Barbary War. The event was later memorialized in the Marines' Hymn with the line, "to the shores of Tripoli."

The Tripoli is the 10th amphibious assault ship in the Navy's fleet. A third America-class assault ship, the future USS Bougainville, is under construction.

Posted by Frank G 2020-07-16 08:01|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ] Top

#1 Wondering how the Bonhomme Richard manifest analysis is going...

Posted by Anomalous Sources 2020-07-16 14:50|| 2020-07-16 14:50|| Front Page Top

#2 They have to wait until the fire is completely out and all the toxic fumes is aired out before they can start analyzing the ship.

My guess is that the USS Bonhomme Richard will be declared a total loss as a warship, it might be usable as a civilian support ship, but doubt anyone will want to put money into it when one could buy one of the used LHA in the Naval Reserve and restore them for far less money..

Posted by Seeking Cure For Ignorance 2020-07-16 17:08|| 2020-07-16 17:08|| Front Page Top

#3 @#2: Understood, but my curiosity is in determining the shipping origins of the refurb materials that, as I've heard, were a major fuel source for the fire.

Documents may be interesting.

Posted by Anomalous Sources 2020-07-16 19:37|| 2020-07-16 19:37|| Front Page Top

#4 Update: All Fires on the Bonhomme Richard Are Now Out, Navy Says

Posted by Anomalous Sources 2020-07-16 19:40|| 2020-07-16 19:40|| Front Page Top

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