On the morning of Sunday, July 12, 2020 at 8:50 AM PDT, USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), moored at Naval Base San Diego, Pier 2 reported a fire in the lower vehicle deck (Deep V). The ship activated the base emergency response system and eventually a 3-alarm assignment from the Federal, San Diego, and National City Fire Departments responded, along with fire crews from neighboring ships. Over the next four days, they battled fires onboard the vessel. There were incidents of explosions, having to abandon the ship and evacuate the pier, potential for further explosions and collapse of some of the vessel. San Diego Harbor Police and Chouest tugs were brought in to fight the fire, along with many other assets including Navy H-60s dropping water directly on the ship. Dr. Sal Mercogliano, a naval and maritime historian, former merchant mariner, and 20-year firefighter examines the visual evidence of the fire and discusses his assessment of the fire based on preliminary information and video evidence. All the opinions expressed are developed from the visual record, discussions with participants, and is purely conjecture and should be interpreted as facts until official investigation results are released. USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) Day One (July 12, 2020) Fire Analysis, Dr. Salvatore R. Mercogliano https://youtu.be/xHtmvVDCJRc Fire Chief Details Battling USS Bonhomme Richard Blaze as Investigations Begin https://news.usni.org/2020/07/17/fire-chief-details-battling-uss-bonhomme-richard-blaze-as-investigations-begin USS BonHomme Richard (LHD 6) Firefighting Efforts, July 15th, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQYg-VUFap8 USS BonHomme Richard (LHD 6) Firefighting Efforts, July 14th, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Zed74_oms USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Firefighting Efforts, July 13th Part Three https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdsxELNRg8U USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Firefighting Efforts, July 13th Part Two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4YvnYXLIlI