Five years after the $3-billion loss of USS Bonhomme Richard, a new Government Accountability Office report warns that systemic weaknesses in contractor oversight continue to threaten the U.S. Navy’s progress on fire safety during ship maintenance. While no major fires have occurred since 2020 and some reforms are in place, GAO found that staffing shortages in key oversight roles, reliance on already overtasked sailors, and weak enforcement tools undermine compliance with hot work and stowage standards. Corrective Action Requests lack monetary penalties, Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans do not tie safety failures to financial consequences, progress payment retention remains at reduced pandemic-era levels, and ship repair contractor liability limits haven’t been updated since 2003. These findings mirror the Navy’s own Major Fires Review, which highlighted “ineffective learning” and recurring problems with watchstanding, hazardous material stowage, and training. GAO issued six recommendations—ranging from strengthening oversight resources to updating liability clauses—all of which the Navy has accepted, underscoring the challenge of safeguarding an aging fleet in a maintenance environment where contractor accountability remains insufficient.