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The Navy has charged a sailor in connection with the massive fire that destroyed the warship USS Bonhomme Richard for four days in 2020 while it was moored off San Diego, a spokesperson for the U.S. said Thursday. Marine.
The unidentified sailor was a member of the ship’s crew and is accused of starting the July 12, 2020 fire, the Navy said. The charges are based on evidence gathered during an investigation, Navy spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson said in a statement.
“The evidence gathered during the investigation is sufficient to order a preliminary hearing in accordance with due process under the military justice system,” said Robertson.
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Navy ship FireSmoke rises from USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego after an explosion and fire. A sailor has been charged in the blaze, the Navy said Thursday. (AP Photo / Denis Poroy)
(AP Photo / Denis Poroy) #
Vice Admiral Steve Koehler, Commander of the U.S. Third Fleet, is considering court martial prosecution. He ordered a preliminary hearing during which an impartial hearing officer will make the decisions and recommendations required by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including “whether or not there are probable grounds to believe that an offense has occurred. committed and offer a recommendation as to the settlement of the case, “the statement said.
Arson was suspected to be behind the blaze and a sailor was questioned, a senior defense official said weeks after the blaze.
The blaze caused billions of dollars in damage to the amphibious assault ship, which raged for four days and was the worst U.S. Navy warship fire outside of fighting in recent memory.
The ship was eventually decommissioned. Its repair would have cost between $ 2.5 billion and $ 3 billion and would have taken five to seven years, said Rear Admiral Eric H. Ver Hage of the Navy Regional Maintenance Center at the time.
A fire burns on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Station San Diego July 12, 2020 in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
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“We did not take this decision lightly,” then Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite said last year. “After a thorough physical assessment in which various action plans were considered and evaluated, we came to the conclusion that it is not financially responsible for restoring it.”
Frank Miles of Fox News contributed to this report.
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