Burning hull of USS Bonhomme Richard leaves amphibious ready group capability gap
As efforts continue to bring under control a fire on board the USN’s USS Bonhomme Richard, the financial and military implications of the potential loss of such a vessel will bear a heavy weight on a service already hard-pressed in meeting its required operational tempo.
Costing more than $5 billion to build, the 41,000t Wasp-class amphibious assault ships form the expensive centrepiece of the USMC’s amphibious ready group forces, which are highly mobile and multirole constructs capable of projecting land, sea and air power worldwide.
One of eight Wasp-class vessels in service, Bonhomme Richard was undergoing scheduled
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