Accused “Bonnie Dick” Arsonist Named

USS Bonhomme Richard Ablaze

A disgruntled sailor is accused of starting the fire that ultimately resulted in the decommissioning of the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6).

Ryan Sawyer Mays faces a laundry list of charges, specifics depending if he is tried in Federal Court or faces a Navy Courts Martial.

Mays had washed out of BUD/S and was reassigned to the ship as a non-designated Seaman. This was apparently unsatisfactory to Mays;
undesignated personnel are usually assigned to the First Lieutenant Division and perform mundane tasks involving ship’s maintenance and line handling.

David sends.

Sailor Who ‘Hated’ Navy Torched $1.2B Assault Ship: Warrant

Ryan Sawyer Mays is accused of costing the Navy billions of dollars in damage after dropping out of Navy SEAL training and enduring an embarrassing breakup.

Reporter: Justin Rohrlich
News Editor: Allison Quinn

A 20-year-old sailor with a grudge against the U.S. Navy and a failed attempt at becoming a Navy SEAL under his belt is accused of setting an amphibious assault ship ablaze and singlehandedly costing the Navy $30 million in damage.

According to an NCIS search warrant affidavit obtained by The Daily Beast, Ryan Sawyer Mays aroused the suspicions of investigators almost immediately after the 40,000-ton USS Bonhomme Richard went up in flames on July 12, 2020, burning for nearly five days and leaving dozens injured while extinguishing the ferocious blaze.

Mays, whose identity has not previously been revealed, now faces charges of arson within a special maritime and territorial jurisdiction, use of fire to damage federal property, and making a false statement, the warrant states. If the Navy instead proceeds with a court martial, Mays will be charged with aggravated arson and willful hazarding of a vessel, said a Navy spokesman. Mays does not have a lawyer listed in court records, and could not be reached for comment.

The fire raged through the 14-deck ship after beginning in a cargo hold, with the temperature onboard exceeding 1,000 degrees at times, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday told reporters last summer. The fire aboard the Bonhomme Richard, which was waiting on a $250 million upgrade at the time, was finally tamed by some 400 sailors from 16 vessels, helicopters dumping water on the flames, the Naval Base San Diego Fire Department, and numerous civilian fire departments from surrounding cities.

Every deck above the waterline was damaged, and although no deaths or serious injuries were reported, 71 people were hurt or treated for smoke inhalation. At least 18 firefighters filed workers’ compensation claims following the blaze, specifying they suffered, among other things, concussions, orthopedic issues, and dehydration.

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Last November, the Navy said it would scrap the Bonhomme Richard in light of estimated repair costs of as much as $3.2 billion. The ship cost about $750 million when it was built in 1998, or about $1.2 billion by today’s standards. The investigation, according to the affidavit, is ongoing.

The Daily Beast

This individual obviously has authority issues and had no problem endangering his ship and crew.

Art. 110. Improper hazarding of vessel or aircraft
(a) WILLFUL AND WRONGFUL HAZARDING.—Any person subject to
this chapter who, willfully and wrongfully, hazards or suffers to be hazarded any vessel or aircraft of the armed forces shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may
direct.

Thanks, David.

Category: Crime, Guest Link, Navy