BAE Systems Wins £4 Billion UK Contract For Nuclear Submarines
By Dasha Afanasieva Oct 1, 2023 (Bloomberg) –Britain’s Ministry of Defence has awarded almost £4 billion ($4.9 billion) in funding to BAE Systems Plc for the next phase of the UK’s...
Sailors and Federal Firefighters combat a fire onboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) at Naval Base San Diego, July 12, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christina Ross/Released)
Sept 30 (Reuters) – A U.S. Navy sailor was found not guilty on Friday of starting a fire that destroyed the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in San Diego in 2020.
Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays was acquitted of charges of arson and the willful hazarding of a ship, Commander Sean Robertson, a spokesman for the U.S. 3rd Fleet, said in a statement.
The decision followed a two-week court-martial in which Navy prosecutors argued that Mays, who was 19 at the time of the blaze, started the fire due to disgruntlement with his work. Defense lawyers said lithium-ion batteries or a spark from a short on a forklift could have been to blame.
Bonhomme Richard Fire: Series of Failures Led to Ship’s Destruction
“The Navy is committed to upholding the principles of due process and a fair trial,” Robertson said.
Had Mays been found guilty, he could have faced life in prison.
More than 60 people, including about 40 sailors, were treated for minor injuries during four days of fighting flames on the 844-foot-long (257-meter) warship, which was docked for maintenance at its homeport at U.S. Naval Base San Diego.
The Bonhomme Richard, whose size ranks second in the U.S. Navy fleet to that of an aircraft carrier, was so badly damaged, the $1.2 billion vessel had to be scrapped.
(Reporting By Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022.Join the 93,820 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 93,820 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.