Size creates room for subdivision, overlapping systems, and alternative ways to regenerate lost capability. Fogging, foam, sensors, cameras, and supervisory control and data acquisition can identify fires and apply rapid responses from a protected control station. Remote operators can make better decisions when temperature data and camera views identify the fire before they commit a response. Yet naval watertight doors, passageways, pumps, and repair practices are built around human access, so mobile firefighting and structural repair still require sailors unless the entire internal architecture is redesigned for machines.
Chapter · 55:16-59:30
Automation supports damage control but cannot replace sailors
Large-hull redundancy, automated fire suppression, and SCADA monitoring improve survivability, while complex repairs still depend on human access and judgment.