The US Navy is Building a Drone Fleet to Take on China. It’s Not Going Well.
During a U.S. naval test off the California coast last month, which was designed to showcase the Pentagon’s top autonomous drone boats, one vessel stalled unexpectedly.
In this episode, maritime historian Sal Mercogliano explores the timeline and issues behind the July 12, 2020 fire onboard USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego, California. Mercogliano investigates how the actions (and inactions) taken that day along with the four areas identified in the JAGMAN investigation – Material Condition, Training and Readiness, Shore Establishment Support, and Oversight.
Also Read: Fire, Fire, Fire: How Navy Failures Destroyed the Bonhomme Richard
In this episode Mercogliano, who is a fireman and former ship’s officer, tears into the timeline of the response and provides harsh criticism of both the Navy’s response and the incident investigation they did after the fire.
Stay tuned to his channel because, in the next video, Mercogliano says he will look at the importance of Fireboats and why the Navy – falsely – thinks it does not need one in San Diego.
Also Read: Dear Admiral Kitchener: San Diego Urgently Needs A Fireboat by John Konrad
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