Year 2020 ( Archived) (5)

perhaps more than the current every day common flu is spreading

The Bonhomme Richard is named after a Continental Navy warship that served in the War of Independence. It's a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship designed to send Marines ashore by land and sea. The 843-foot-long ship has a full length flight deck designed to support AH-1Z, CH-53E, and UH-1Y helicopters, as well as MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.

Commissioned in 1998, the Bonhomme Richard was meant to remain in service until the 2030s. In 2018, the ship underwent a $250 million refit to allow the operation of the F-35B, the Marine Corps variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. A brand-new replacement, if necessary, would cost approximately $3.5 billion.
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Right now, we don't know if Bonhomme Richard is salvageable. The real extent of the fire spread hasn't been reported, but since the fire spread from deep inside the ship and rose all the way up to the flight deck, this indicates destruction across several decks vertically, in addition to any likely horizontal fire spread. The Navy will have to put out the fire, pump out seawater aboard, remove debris, and begin to document the damage sustained. Even the electronics systems that the fire didn't directly touch may have suffered smoke damage and will need replacing.


The original USS Bonhomme Richard depicted colliding with the British HMS Serapis during the American Revolutionary War.
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Fire spreads to seven ships at Iranian port

The incident is the latest in a string of mysterious explosions and fires at key locations around Iran, including a fire at the Natanz nuclear complex last week and a blast near the Parchin military development facility in June.