Ship's on fire, yo (USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego. Live video)

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

7 hours ago, Armybrat said:

Flo is on it.

 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

On 7/31/2021 at 4:11 AM, Bobby_Batronic said:

 

Flo is high on the list of chicks hi-def did no favors

[Guest]

On 7/30/2021 at 12:16 PM, Willfully Horn said:

A sailor has been charge in the arson. Que no?

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

 

 

Justin Rohrlich, Allison Quinn

Tue, August 3, 2021, 9:56 PM

 

 

 

NCIS

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.

Mays was identified by NCIS investigators after they interviewed some 177 sailors assigned to the Bonhomme Richard. One reported that he had seen a “light-skin male” in clean coveralls and a face mask carrying a metal bucket into the Lower V—the ship’s aft section—but didn’t recognize the person in question. But later, the sailor, named in the search warrant affidavit as Kenji Velasco, “did mention a sailor named Mays that ‘hates’ the U.S. Navy and the Fleet,” the filing states.

In further interviews, Velasco said he was “fairly sure” and “90 percent sure” he saw Mays descend into the Lower V before the fire broke out. He also noted that firefighting equipment in the area seemed to have been tampered with.

“Velasco further explained that in the hours and days after the fire, it had dawned on him that the individual who descended to the Lower V at 0805 on the day of the fire was Mays’s height and build, had fair hair that could be seen coming out from his cover, like Mays, sounded like Mays, and said, ‘I love deck,’ which is an expression Velasco knew Mays to say,” the affidavit states, adding that other sailors had also suggested to investigators that the person in question seemed to be Mays based on his clothing and language and that a command master chief “identified Mays as a person who showed disdain towards authority and the U.S. Navy.”

Investigators reviewed Mays’ now-private Instagram account, and found a post that stated, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” the affidavit explains. Mays’ service record showed that he joined the Navy in 2019 “with the intent on becoming trained in the Advanced Electronics Computer Fields,” then “changed his career goals to becoming a Navy SEAL.” But five days after beginning SEAL training, Mays dropped out and was reassigned to the Bonhomme Richard as an “undesignated Seaman.”

 

NCIS

“According to Navy leadership, the morale and behavior of sailors who had aspired to become a SEAL, and then find themselves serving in a more traditional role on a Navy ship, are frequently very challenging,” the affidavit states.

Mays told investigators he was willing to take a polygraph exam, after which he was arrested. Mays is said to have then incriminated himself in the presence of two Master-at-Arms designated sailors, who “heard Mays say (unasked) that he was guilty, seemingly talking to himself,” according to the warrant. He later denied ever making the comments, and denied involvement in the arson, claiming he was being “set up.”

Investigators also dug into Mays’ personal life and discovered several red flags. After telling investigators during an initial 10-hour interview that he’d recently separated from a female sailor upon discovering that she was pregnant and he was not the father, investigators “later learned this was mostly contradicted by the female sailor” in question, the warrant said.

That sailor recounted to investigators that while Mays had gone around telling everyone she was pregnant and that he was “going to be a father,” she had never been pregnant and made that clear to him, even taking a pregnancy test to prove it.

It was not clear if that series of events was thought to have pushed Mays toward the alleged arson. NCIS investigators seized Mays’ iPhone, searched his car and apartment, and swabbed his cheek for a DNA sample. So far, Mays’ DNA has not been a match for DNA found at the scene.

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.

[RPM 26167]

Keelhaul his ass under the carrier.

[OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys 2054]

 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21780]

2 hours ago, RPM said:

Keelhaul his ass under the carrier.

I don't think you can keelhaul someone under a stationary burned out hulk

[RPM 26167]

12 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I don't think you can keelhaul someone under a stationary burned out hulk

I say give it a try.

[Scheiss Meister 8389]

51 minutes ago, RPM said:

I say give it a try.

Make sure that there is a really good buildup of barnacles on the hull and put about 20 stout men at each end of the rope,with instructions to take their time and do it right.  It could work.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Scheiss Meister

[Captainant 27249]

The plot thickens:

San Diego Union Tribune: Firefighting equipment was sabotaged prior to Bonhomme Richard blaze, search warrant suggests

Quote

A federal search warrant unsealed Tuesday reveals for the first time the breadth of the early days of the investigation into the devastating fire on board the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard — and how a 19-year-old SEAL dropout became the prime arson suspect.

The records, filed in San Diego federal court by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, also suggest someone sabotaged the ship’s firefighting effort before the July 12, 2020, blaze, as well as tampered with crime scene evidence in the days that followed.

Seaman Apprentice Ryan Mays, now 20, was charged Thursday by the Navy with aggravated arson and hazarding of a vessel in connection with the fire. Gary Barthel, a San Diego-based military lawyer who represents Mays, declined to comment on the information in the warrant late Tuesday, saying he hasn’t received any documents in the case yet from Navy prosecutors.

“The warrant is just an affidavit from an (NCIS) agent,” Barthel said. “It’s always possible the evidence will show this warrant was not valid.”

Barthel confirmed Mays was charged and said he denies any wrongdoing.

“He’s been adamant,” Barthel said. “He denies any involvement with the starting of the fire.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office asked a federal judge to unseal the search warrant so it could be disclosed to the sailor’s defense lawyers representing him in the Navy prosecution, according to a motion filed Monday.

The Navy has not confirmed Mays is the sailor charged with starting the fire, although he was named in the search warrant. Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a spokesman for the San Diego-based 3rd Fleet, also declined to comment on the investigation Tuesday.

 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13388]

I could see a problem of enlisted soldiers/sailors that join the military based on recruiting commercials. They think they're going to be a Navy SEAL or flying jets. Then they face the disappointment of a boring ass job. I'm sure this has always been a problem but does the military identify someone that fits this description and might be prone to some type of sabotage, including hurting themselves or others?

This mf-er might contribute a lifetime total of $100K in income taxes and he just lost us $100s of millions in taxpayer money. Honesty, I'm ok with a lifetime sentence in Leavenworth and include a video of his story as part of the training of every new recruit.

[Captainant 27249]

5 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I could see a problem of enlisted soldiers/sailors that join the military based on recruiting commercials. They think they're going to be a Navy SEAL or flying jets. Then they face the disappointment of a boring ass job. I'm sure this has always been a problem but does the military identify someone that fits this description and might be prone to some type of sabotage, including hurting themselves or others?

This mf-er might contribute a lifetime total of $100K in income taxes and he just lost us $100s of millions in taxpayer money. Honesty, I'm ok with a lifetime sentence in Leavenworth and include a video of his story as part of the training of every new recruit.

From the article, it sounds like the prime suspect was exactly as you describe. Went through boot, managed to qualify for BUDs and arrived in Sept 2019, and dropped out in March 2020 due to injury. Next he was a deck seaman on the Bonhomme. Definitely a narrative throughline there

[Homercles 10205]

I thought they usually cycled you back a class if you’re injured in BUD/S…figured he just DOR’d.  The SEALs subreddit has lots of warnings about going in with a don’t quit mindset exactly for this reason, you’ll be sent based on the needs of navy and it may be someplace you hate. 

[Blotto 23366]

kind of a wierdo. Presumably the same guy as his profile also shows the same IG handle.

https://www.tiktok.com/@sawyermays8?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I could see a problem of enlisted soldiers/sailors that join the military based on recruiting commercials.

That burger from Wendys doesn't look like the one on the commercial either.  It doesn't mean we burn the building down.  You talk to virtually ANYBODY prior service enlisted, and they are going to implore you, "Don't believe a fucking thing the recruiter says if they don't provide it in writing."

Military life is unique and can sometimes be shitty.  Sounds like dude got his shot at becoming a SEAL, but his character shone through his subsequent actions.  That's a flaw of the individual, not the military.

Edited August 4, 2021 by slorch

[El Diablo 4232]

1 hour ago, Homercles said:

I thought they usually cycled you back a class if you’re injured in BUD/S…figured he just DOR’d.  The SEALs subreddit has lots of warnings about going in with a don’t quit mindset exactly for this reason, you’ll be sent based on the needs of navy and it may be someplace you hate. 

Those 7 little words every sailor dreads - "as the needs of the Navy require". 

Honestly though unless he went in as a ready mariner, i.e., without any schooling guaranteed, he was a dumbass to begin with. I had a guy whose brother went BUDs and washed out. They sent him to the school he'd signed up for initially and then once he'd completed that they sent him on to our ship to be stationed with his brother. Had another guy shows up straight out of school, he thinks he's going to strike for another rate that he'd like better. Hahahaha... no dumbass, the Navy didn't just spend the money for your school only to turn around and let you do something else. He said the recruiter signed him up for what was needed and told him "oh, once you get to your ship youll be able to get into something else". Dumbasses. 

Edited August 4, 2021 by El Diablo
IF - IF he went in as a ready mariner

[thunderlounge 7698]

On 7/30/2021 at 11:46 PM, Scheiss Meister said:

There's a reason that naval service slang for "Move your ass, now!" is "Fire in the paint locker!"  Fire on a warship can get out of hand very quickly and, obviously, cause an insane amount of damage.  A small fire anywhere is trouble.

This is no joke. We were in the yards and a contractor had an accident when grinding. We got the fire out pretty quickly, and it didn’t seem like much, but it set us back 6 months in the yards. 
 

[El Diablo 4232]

2 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

This is no joke. We were in the yards and a contractor had an accident when grinding. We got the fire out pretty quickly, and it didn’t seem like much, but it set us back 6 months in the yards. 
 

I was on a merchant marine ship for 2 of my 4 years. Military Sealift Command operates quite a few non-combatant supply ships, crewed primarily by civilians with a detachment of squids for communications. One of the oilers, might have been the Waccamaw, had a fire erupt in the engine room while they were doing a refueling with one of the carriers. Emergency breakaway, errbody hauls ass a couple miles away then radio back to the limping ship "hey, you guys gonna need any help?"

Didn't nobody want to get near the flaming fuel ship. 

[thunderlounge 7698]

Oh hell no. We never had to do an emergency break for a real emergency, but we had one captain that loved to practice them as frequently as possible. 
 

Good training, sure, but I think he loved the ride (along with blasting pantera/slayer/metallica/etc) more than anything. 
 

 

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

1 hour ago, thunderlounge said:

Oh hell no. We never had to do an emergency break for a real emergency, but we had one captain that loved to practice them as frequently as possible. 
 

Good training, sure, but I think he loved the ride (along with blasting pantera/slayer/metallica/etc) more than anything. 
 

 

I would think being in command of a powerful warship, commanding flank speed, and blasting the rock flavor of your choice would appeal to most males. 

[thunderlounge 7698]

4 minutes ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

I would think being in command of a powerful warship, commanding flank speed, and blasting the rock flavor of your choice would appeal to most males. 

Being along for the ride did not suck, I’ll give him that. 
 

He was by far the best CO I served under, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him.

[Captainant 27249]

AP: Navy probe finds major failures in fire that destroyed ship

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Navy report has concluded there were sweeping failures by commanders, crew members and others that fueled the July 2020 arson fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard, calling the massive five-day blaze in San Diego preventable and unacceptable.

While one sailor has been charged with setting the fire, the more than 400-page report, obtained by The Associated Press, lists three dozen officers and sailors whose failings either directly led to the ship’s loss or contributed to it. The findings detailed widespread lapses in training, coordination, communication, fire preparedness, equipment maintenance and overall command and control.

“Although the fire was started by an act of arson, the ship was lost due to an inability to extinguish the fire,” the report said, concluding that “repeated failures” by an “inadequately prepared crew” delivered “an ineffective fire response.”

It slammed commanders of the amphibious assault ship for poor oversight, and said the main firefighting foam system wasn’t used because it hadn’t been maintained properly and the crew didn’t know how to use it. The report is expected to be released Wednesday.

...

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the report ahead of its public release.

Specifically, the report said failures of Vice Adm. Brown; Rear Adm. Scott Brown, the fleet maintenance officer for the Pacific Fleet; Rear Adm. William Greene, the fleet maintenance officer for U.S. Fleet Forces Command; Rear. Adm. Eric Ver Hage, commander of the regional maintenance center; Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar, commander of Navy Region Southwest; Capt. Mark Nieswiadomy, commander of Naval Base San Diego; and Capt. Tony Rodriguez, commander of Amphibious Squadron 5, all “contributed to the loss of the ship.”

The report also directly faults the ship’s three top officers — Capt. Gregory Thoroman, the commanding officer; Capt. Michael Ray, the executive officer; and Command Master Chief Jose Hernandez — for not effectively ensuring the readiness and condition of the ship.

“The execution of his duties created an environment of poor training, maintenance and operational standards that directly led to the loss of the ship,” the report said of Thoroman. And it said Ray, Hernandez and Capt. David Hart, commander of the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, also failed in their responsibilities, which directly led to the loss of the ship.

 

[AUS-97HORN 11644]

guess the Navy decided they wanted to fire a few Admirals and Captains and this makes a great scapgoat moment for them.

5 admirals and 5 Captains getting canned is a full on bloodletting

[RPM 26167]

36 minutes ago, Captainant said:

“Although the fire was started by an act of arson, the ship was lost due to an inability to extinguish the fire,” the report said, concluding that “repeated failures” by an “inadequately prepared crew” delivered “an ineffective fire response.”

It slammed commanders of the amphibious assault ship for poor oversight, and said the main firefighting foam system wasn’t used because it hadn’t been maintained properly and the crew didn’t know how to use it. The report is expected to be released Wednesday.

WTeverlovinF? Didn't know how to use the foam system? Firefighting was drilled into us relentlessly. There's no bigger threat underway than fire and ain't nobody gonna be there to help you. If that was the state of readiness the crew was in, those in charge should be canned.

[OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys 2054]

i think if you're rear admiral, you shouldn't have the name brown.

[Parliament 14084]

Good Lord the Navy is goofed up right now.

[El Diablo 4232]

13 hours ago, RPM said:

WTeverlovinF? Didn't know how to use the foam system? Firefighting was drilled into us relentlessly. There's no bigger threat underway than fire and ain't nobody gonna be there to help you. If that was the state of readiness the crew was in, those in charge should be canned.

yeah, this times 1 bazillion. I don't give a shit if the ships in drydock, fire fighting readiness is priority #1. How they got this far I'll never know but the fact that fleet command kept checking off on their lack of readiness is criminal. That's some serious PMS gundecking right there. 

[blacklab 11838]

yeah, how the fuck do they let this happen.

On the sub we all went through 2 weeks of firefighting training and drilled 2+ times a week on it. Many people think the firefighting and damage control helped win WW2 in the pacific. 

I'm guessing while sitting in port and getting repairs there's probably a small crew on board, but still it's a major fuck up.

[Captainant 27249]

7 minutes ago, blacklab said:

yeah, how the fuck do they let this happen.

On the sub we all went through 2 weeks of firefighting training and drilled 2+ times a week on it. Many people think the firefighting and damage control helped win WW2 in the pacific. 

I'm guessing while sitting in port and getting repairs there's probably a small crew on board, but still it's a major fuck up.

SmarterEveryDay on youtube did a great series of vids from a Virginia class SSN, including a video of their underway firefighting and damage control training. (not that you need to learn lol, just thought it's a great video)

Damage control was a huge strength to the US in WWII - the japanese thought Yorktown was a fresh carrier just hours after getting multiple bomb hits! The Kaga was sunk from just one hit due to poor DC.

From what's been said to the press about the report, on top of the actual effort to commit arson there's apparently significant differences of standards of readiness and training for seagoing duty vs while at port. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the official report if it ever hits and will be sure to link it

[AUS-97HORN 11644]

46 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Damage control was a huge strength to the US in WWII - the japanese thought Yorktown was a fresh carrier just hours after getting multiple bomb hits! The Kaga was sunk from just one hit due to poor DC.

The largest Japanese carrier, The Taiho, which had anti-torpedo armormed belting, sank after a SINGLE torpedo hit. that torpedo was part of a spread of 6 fired by the USS Albacore

that one hit due to a tragic comedy of idiotic errors by the Japanese damage control team resulted in the loss of the largest carrier sunk in WW2,  and the loss of almost 1700 men. 

[TexasEd 8058]

On 8/4/2021 at 6:54 PM, thunderlounge said:

Oh hell no. We never had to do an emergency break for a real emergency, but we had one captain that loved to practice them as frequently as possible. 
 

Good training, sure, but I think he loved the ride (along with blasting pantera/slayer/metallica/etc) more than anything. 
 

 

Been on many of those as a civilian contractor. Was almost every time we did an UNREP 

[Gil Bang 25843]

 

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11667]

Wow

[Captainant 27249]

Reading the article, it seems like the prosecution didn't have any other evidence that May (the defendant) set the fire, and generally had very few facts to support sending a 20 year old to prison for life

[AUS-97HORN 11644]

damn...  how about those 5 Captain's and 5 Admiral's who'se career is over seeing that the guy the Navy claimed did it, gets off almost entirely- although it sounds like hes gonna be separated due to a drug test.

 

I would take a less-than-honorable over life in prison any day of the week Alex

Edited September 30, 2022 by AUS-97HORN

[NoRagrets 1125]

It always pissed me off when I read about our tax dollars being spent to prosecute people for major crimes with shit for evidence. It’s a waste of money and, more importantly, could ruin an innocent person’s life.

[Guadaloopy 10890]

Not at all surprising.  Most military leadership has no concept of what it takes to find someone guilty in an actual court of law, and JAGs on command staffs are a bunch of yes men.  The NJP (non-judicial punishment) system and administrative disciplinary tools available to commanders totally skew their perception of what constitutes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  

I had command of a shore-based unit, so my Sailors had the right to refuse NJP and request court martial.  It drove my Commodore crazy when my Sailors would refuse mast, and I would not prefer charges to a court martial.  He would literally get red in the face as I explained to him that due to different evidentiary standards and burden of proof there was no way that we could win these cases at court martial.

This trial was a complete waste of resources on top of a huge loss.

Edited September 30, 2022 by Guadaloopy

[Nice Guy Eddie 13388]

No idea if this guy did what he was accused but I lost faith with military Justice when I’ve read the stories about how the Navy tried to blame one sailor for the USS Iowa turret explosion in the 80s. IIRC they found “evidence” that one of the dead sailors may have been gay so therefore it must have been sabotage by him.

it took years and millions of dollars for the navy to admit that other problems led to the explosion.  Blaming the system can kill careers, blaming one low level person can promote you.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11771]

Being cheap bastards, pointing fingers and trying to steal contractor IP is pretty much the Navy business model. There’s a reason trees get tossed overboard.  

[Bateshorn 9853]

As a not military guy, the Navy sounds super fucked up, even by DC standards. Jesus.