SAN DIEGO — A 20-year-old sailor will face a military trial on charges he deliberately set the fire that destroyed a $1.2 billion warship on the San Diego waterfront in 2020, the Navy announced Friday.
Seaman Recruit Ryan Sawyer Mays, a former deck seaman on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, is charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel in connection with the four-day fire that destroyed most of the ship. Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, the commander of the San Diego-based U.S. 3rd Fleet, issued the order to send the case to trial on Wednesday, according to court documents.
"After careful review of the preliminary hearing report, (Koehler) referred charges" against Mays, said Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a 3rd Fleet spokesperson. "Charges were brought in response to evidence found during the criminal investigation into the fire that started on the former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) on July 12, 2020."
