Carrier Fire 'Entirely Preventable'

[unhappycamper]

Carrier Fire 'Entirely Preventable'
October 07, 2008
Virginian-Pilot

The May fire aboard the carrier George Washington that injured 37 Sailors, caused $70 million in damage and delayed the ship's forward deployment to Japan was "entirely preventable," according to the Pacific Fleet Commander in a final report.

Adm. Robert Willard faulted the ship's leadership for improperly handling the conditions that led to the fire. And he blamed inadequate firefighting training for the amount of time it took to locate and extinguish the fire.

Willard also aimed higher and questioned naval leaders in Hawaii, San Diego and Norfolk about "possible shortcomings" while the ship was undergoing training and about deficiencies that "appear to be systemic and may call for an overhaul" of carrier manning and training processes.

The George Washington left Norfolk for its new home port in Yokosuka, Japan, in April. On May 22, a fire began in one of the carrier's unmanned auxiliary boiler exhaust and supply uptake spaces. The blaze grew quickly, fed by large amounts of improperly stored hazardous materials.

It took the ship's leaders nearly eight hours to track down the source of the blaze, by which time the fire had spread across eight stories. Near its origin, the fire caused significant damage to the ship's structure, equipment and electrical cabling.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/carrier-fire-entirely-preventable.html?col=1186032310810

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Remarkably, McCain was nowhere near CV-73 when it happened...

;)