Sailor facing court martial in fire that destroyed Navy ship

Source: Associated Press

Sailor facing court martial in fire that destroyed Navy ship

By BRIAN MELLEY and JULIE WATSON
February 25, 2022

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A sailor accused of starting the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard will face a court martial for arson, the Navy said Friday.

Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays, 20, faces two counts in military court for the July 2020 blaze that injured dozens of personnel aboard the amphibious assault ship as the fire burned for five days and sent acrid smoke wafting over San Diego.

It marked one of the worst noncombat warship disasters in recent memory and the vessel had to be scrapped. It would cost an estimated $4 billion to replace.

Mays set the fire because he was disgruntled after dropping out of Navy SEAL training, prosecutors said. His defense lawyers said there was no physical evidence connecting him to the blaze.

Mays was charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/fires-san-diego-arson-262258d6d17ba8df1dde571d52e167dd


FILE - In this July 12, 2020, file photo, smoke rises from the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego in San Diego, after an explosion and fire on board the ship at Naval Base San Diego. A sailor accused of starting the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard will face a court martial for arson. The Navy notified Ryan Mays on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, that he was to be tried in military court on two counts for the July 2020 blaze that injured dozens of personnel aboard. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File)