Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey Yale | 200716-N-WD349-1258 SAN DIEGO (July 16, 2020) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate...... read more read more
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Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Hayley Craig, a Jeffersonville, Indiana native serving aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), was recognized by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) July 17 for her resilience, toughness and dedication while fighting a fire aboard the ship.
Adm. Mike Gilday was speaking with the press when he noted Craig repeatedly returned to the ship to battle the blaze.
He made the comments to the media while visiting the ship to address the crew and assess the damage in the aftermath of the recent fire.
“This is all pretty mind blowing,” said Craig. “I didn’t expect anything like this to ever happen. I don’t think that anybody did, but I am grateful for the opportunity to speak for my shipmates and everybody that was involved in taking care of this mess. I don’t think there is a single person that didn’t have a hand in trying to rectify this situation. Everyone should be proud of themselves.”
Craig has served in the Navy for three years.
On the morning of July 12, a fire was called away aboard the ship while it was moored pierside at Naval Base San Diego. Fire teams consisting of four federal entities as well as more than 400 Sailors from 12 San Diego-based ships fought the fire for four days. Three helicopter squadrons conducted more than 1,500 water bucket drops, fighting the fire and cooling the super structure and flight deck enabling fire crews to get aboard to fight the fire. Tugboats were also used to provide firefighting support from the waterline, cooling the ships’ hull.
USS Bonhomme Richard is the third ship in the United States Navy to bear this name. She was commissioned on Aug. 15, 1998, at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, and then headed to her new homeport in San Diego. On Jan. 17, 2003, Bonhomme Richard deployed with Amphibious Task Force – West, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism. On Feb. 14, 2012, Bonhomme Richard departed Naval Base San Diego for a two-month western Pacific deployment and a homeport shift to Sasebo, Japan. On May 8, 2018, Bonhomme Richard returned to Naval Base San Diego after being forward deployed to Japan for the previous six years. Bonhomme Richard is currently going through a maintenance availability, which began in 2018.
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| Date Taken: | 07.28.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.03.2020 16:17 |
| Story ID: | 374752 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 115 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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