US Navy to scrap billion-dollar warship after major fire

The US Navy has decided to de-commission and scrap the USS Bonhomme Richard after a damage assessment found that restoring the ship would cost billions of dollars.

The amphibious assault ship was in port in San Diego in July so that it could be upgraded to accommodate the new Marine Corps F-35B jets when a massive fire broke out aboard the vessel. Navy officials said that restoring the ship would cost $2.5 billion to $3.2 billion and take five to seven years. Officials say the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The USS Bonhomme Richard cost $750 million to build when it was commissioned back in 1998, which amounts to about $1.2 billion in today's dollars.

Source: AFP