Sailor blamed for devastating US warship fire ‘disgruntled’ after failed SEALs bid
- Junior sailor denies setting fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in 2020
- Prosecutors say sailor was angry about deployment on ship as a deck seaman
US Navy prosecutors have alleged that a sailor charged with setting the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard last year was “disgruntled” after dropping out of Navy SEAL training, while his defence lawyers criticised the preliminary hearing as unfair.
Prosecutor Commander Rich Federico told the court that text messages show Seaman Apprentice Ryan Sawyer Mays lied about his SEAL training to family and friends and was angry about being reassigned to the Bonhomme Richard as deck seaman. They also said he used foul language with officers days before the blaze.
Mays denied igniting the amphibious assault ship that burned for nearly five days and injured dozens aboard. His lawyers told the court that the government did not properly share the information it had gathered against him.
The defence lawyers said the US Navy only recently had handed over 28,000 pages of material and hours of videos that were impossible to review before Monday’s hearing.
The junior sailor was charged with aggravated arson and the wilful hazarding of a vessel a fire that was the worst non-combat US Navy warship blaze in recent memory.
The hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a military trial.
About 160 sailors and officers were on board when the fire started July 12, 2020, in the lower storage area of the 256-metre (840-foot) vessel, which had been docked at Naval Base San Diego while undergoing a two-year, US$250 million upgrade.