The Ship Model Forum

dragon53 wrote:UPDATE.

LINK: https://www.military.com/daily-news/202 ... _220927.nl

A military judge today acquitted a young sailor accused by the Navy of setting a 2020 fire that ultimately destroyed an amphibious warship as it neared completion of a major modernization and overhaul.

Capt. Derek Butler�s findings � not guilty of arson and of hazarding a vessel � puts an end to a two-year ordeal for Seaman Recruit Ryan Sawyer Mays. As a 19-year-old deck seaman, he was fingered by a shipmate who claimed he saw Mays near where the fire began in the former USS Bonhomme Richard�s (LHD-6) lower vehicle deck.

Sailor Accused of Starting Bonhomme Richard Blaze Will Be Court-Martialed, Admiral Decides

Sailors combat a fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, July 12, 2020 at Naval Base San Diego. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Hector Carrera)
25 Feb 2022
Military.com | By Konstantin Toropin
The sailor accused of starting the fire that destroyed the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard is headed for court-martial, the Navy announced Friday. The sailor's lawyer, however, was quick to note that the move goes against the recommendation of the legal officer in his first hearing.

"After careful review of the preliminary hearing report, Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, referred charges against Seaman Recruit Ryan Sawyer Mays to general court martial," Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a Third Fleet spokesperson, said in an emailed statement.

Mays faces charges of "willful hazarding of a vessel" and "aggravated arson" after his fellow sailors told investigators and the court that they saw him in the area where the fire started on the ship on July 12, 2020.

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Mays' lawyer, Gary Barthel, noted in a phone interview with Military.com that "the preliminary hearing officer, that was appointed by the command, didn't believe that the evidence warranted going to a court-martial."

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Engineer: Navy Warship Fire Might Be Electrical, Not Arson

16 Dec 2021
Associated Press | By Julie Watson

SAN DIEGO � An electrical engineer who examined the USS Bonhomme Richard after it was destroyed by fire last year testified Wednesday that it might have started with a faulty cable, while a former federal fire investigator said he also found no data to back the government's finding that it was arson.

Andrew Thoresen was hired by the defense attorneys representing the junior sailor accused of setting the fire aboard the amphibious assault ship. He told a military court during a preliminary hearing that he found highly combustible lithium ion batteries with their caps blown off and a copper cable with a melted end in the engine of a forklift, indicating it may have sparked the fire.

�They cannot be eliminated� as a source of the fire, said Thoresen, who has examined 3,000 fire scenes as a forensic electrical engineer.

Phil Fouts, a former federal fire investigator also hired by defense attorneys, told the court he agreed after inspecting the ship.

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Navy Announces Timeline to Dismantle Fire-Damaged Bonhomme Richard, Sideline 2 LCSs
17 Feb 2021
Military.com | By Gina Harkins
The Navy has announced plans to dismantle, sell or sideline eight ships, including one that was ravaged by a devastating fire last summer.
The amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard will be dismantled starting April 15, according to a Navy-wide administrative message issued Friday. The Bonhomme Richard was badly damaged in a July fire that burned for four days.

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Navy Will Decommission Fire-Damaged Bonhomme Richard
30 Nov 2020
The Associated Press | By Elliot Spagat
SAN DIEGO � The Navy said Monday that it will decommission a warship docked off San Diego after suspected arson caused extensive damage, making it too expensive to restore.
Fully repairing the USS Bonhomme Richard to warfighting capabilities would cost $2.5 billion to $3 billion and take five to seven years, said Rear Adm. Eric H. Ver Hage of the Navy Regional Maintenance Center.

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