Fascinating story! I once walked through the remains of a plastics recycling factory that had burned down after thousands of bales of compressed plastic caught fire and burned out of control for 2 weeks.

I had no idea what fire could do until I saw I-beams that used to hold up the roof melted and twisted out of shape like they'd been made of silly putty.

What astonishes me the most about your story isn't more damage wasn't done. The fact that the ship was not destroyed is a testament to Navy discipline and preparedness.