Article: Defense Begins for Accused Bonhomme Richard Arsonist

[kingofnerf]

Defense Begins for Accused Bonhomme Richard Arsonist - USNI News

NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The government’s prosecution against a young sailor accused of arson, which ultimately destroyed an amphibious warship in 2020, centers on one shipmate’s claim he saw that sailor where the fire started shortly before it was reported. That’s the picture Navy...

news.usni.org

Simple question: How does a simple cardboard fire, intentional or not, destroy a $3B modern Navy warship?

Going after one individual sailor doesn't really answer that question.

 

[FurmanCock]

Simple question: How does a simple cardboard fire, intentional or not, destroy a $3B modern Navy warship?

Going after one individual sailor doesn't really answer that question.

Yeah, I don't think we're going to see any time soon the trial regarding preparedness or design.

That being said, if the Navy can prove it was intentionally set, I'm fine with Mays being behind bars until full restitution is made...all $3B.

 

[kingofnerf]

Yeah, I don't think we're going to see any time soon the trial regarding preparedness or design.

That being said, if the Navy can prove it was intentionally set, I'm fine with Mays being behind bars until full restitution is made...all $3B.

I believe the Navy's case is that the sailor set the fire because he was pissed off about being detailed to the maintenance project after washing-out of SEAL school in nearby Coronado.

That meant he was sent undesignated to the shipyard and did all the crap jobs like mess-cranking in the galley and chipping paint while the sailors with their Navy technical ratings did all the better jobs. That's the way it's been in the services for time eternal.

If you look at the schematics in the article, the fire was started in the Lower V deck directly underneath the aluminum bridge superstructure, which collapsed during the fire.

Most of the hatches were open and couldn't be closed due to electrical cables running through them.

I doubt the general public will ever find out what allowed this fire to destroy the whole ship, but I suppose it does matter whether the alleged arsonist specifically picked that location because he knew it would cause the most damage.

Shipboard accidents that start fires are not that common, but they do happen and fire-fighting drills are a constant during a deployment.

This whole incident has been strange from the outset.

 

[FurmanCock]

Judge finds him not guilty -- not enough evidence.

Looks like a classic case of the needing to find a scapegoat

 

[SwampFox]

It sounds like there evidence is lacking.