How the US filled the hole after the landing ship fire 4
`It is too early to conclude whether USS Bonhomme Richard can be repaired at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars in a few years or it will be replaced by a new ship costing more than 3 billion dollars. The US Navy has not yet assessed the cost.`
Currently, military experts are having many speculations about the future of the USS Bonhomme Richard, the second largest warship in the US Navy, just behind the nuclear aircraft carrier.
Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck, commander of the US Navy’s 3rd Expeditionary Strike Group, said the fire was controlled on July 16, the four combat compartments below the ship’s hull were not damaged as seriously as expected and the structure was not damaged.
However, some military experts believe that the repair plan to keep the ship operating in the short term is too expensive and ineffective and the Pentagon should scrap the USS Bonhomme Richard to build a new ship to replace it.
Firefighters sprayed water to cool the hull of the USS Bonhomme Richard on July 14.
The US Navy currently operates 10 large amphibious ships, including eight Wasp-class ships and two America-class ships.
However, Colonel Brennan believes that Washington still has many options to fill the void of the USS Bonhomme Richard in the next few years.
Warships of the Atlantic Fleet, currently named the US Naval Fleet Forces Command (USFF), are regularly deployed to the Indian Ocean, especially the waters off the coast of Iran.
However, the former US naval officer also admitted that the USS Bonhomme Richard fire also affected Washington’s combat capabilities and geopolitical influence in the Indo-Pacific region, where tensions are being witnessed.
`This incident will leave a large gap in the force of amphibious assault ships carrying F-35B fighters, when the US currently only has the USS America and 7 Wasp-class amphibious ships that can operate this fighter at various levels.
A similar situation also occurs with the aging Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carriers, of which the first one, USS Nimitz, is 45 years old and may have to retire in the next 5 years.
Referring to efforts to increase US military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, Colonel Brennan said that in addition to dispatching aircraft carriers and warships to the region, the US Navy needs to pay attention to the role
According to him, the recent US removal of preferential status with Hong Kong may make US warships no longer welcome in the special zone.
