Navy sailor accused of setting fire to destroyed billion dollar ship last year

The Navy has filed a complaint against a sailor in connection with the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego last July, the service said Thursday.

“The evidence gathered during the investigation is sufficient to order a preliminary hearing in accordance with due process under the military justice system. The sailor was a member of Bonhomme Richard’s crew at the time and is charged with having started the fire, ”3rd Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson said in a statement.

Vice Admiral Steve Koehler, the 3rd Fleet commander, is considering court martial charges, the statement said.

The admiral has scheduled a preliminary hearing before any trial proceedings, “including whether or not there is probable cause to believe that an offense has been committed and to offer a recommendation as to the decision of the case” said Robertson.

The identity of the accused sailor was not disclosed and Robertson also said the sailor was not being detained.

The United States Navy announced late last year that it would be scrapping the aging amphibious assault ship.

The Bonhomme Richard was commissioned in 1998 at a cost of $ 750 million. Adjusted to 2020 dollars, that makes $ 1.2 billion.

The damage to the ship from the multi-day fire, which sometimes reached 1,000 degrees, was too difficult to repair for a ship that had already been in service for nearly a quarter of a century, according to the Navy.