SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Navy said Thursday that charges have been filed against a Navy Sailor who is accused of starting the July 2020 fire that destroyed the warship while it was docked in San Diego.
According to Cmdr. Sean Robertson, U.S. 3rd Fleet spokesperson, the evidence collected during the investigation is sufficient to direct a preliminary hearing for the sailer who was a member of Bonhomme Richard’s crew at the time of the fire.
The massive fire erupted late on the morning of July 12 in a storage area aboard the 27,565-ton military sea vessel and soon was sending thick columns of acrid smoke above San Diego Bay and across much of the city.
In August 2020, a senior defense official said that arson was suspected as the cause of the July 12 fire that left extensive damage to the USS Bonhomme Richard.
The warship burned for nearly five days while docked in San Diego and had to be decommissioned by the Navy, which cited the extensive damage the vessel sustained in the fire and excessive costs to restore it.
Approximately 85 sailors, who were living on the ship while it underwent maintenance at Naval Base San Diego were displaced during the fire. Many were among the first to respond to the fire when it first broke out.
In addition to structural damage to the ship, the fire also caused minor injuries to more than 60 sailors and civilian firefighters and sent acrid smoke billowing over the San Diego region, raising air quality concerns for local residents.
The USS Bonhomme Richard would have cost more than $3 billion to restore, a process that would take between five and seven years to complete, according to the Navy.
Rebuilding the ship for alternate purposes could exceed $1 billion in costs, which Naval officials say is as much or more than the cost of a new-construction hospital ship, submarine tender, or command-and-control ship.
Read the full statement released on Thursday from Cmdr. Sean Robertson, U.S. 3rd Fleet spokesperson:
"On July 29, charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice were brought forth against a Navy Sailor in response to evidence found during the criminal investigation into the fire started on USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) on July 12, 2020. Evidence collected during the investigation is sufficient to direct 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 accused of starting the fire.
Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet is considering court-martial charges and has directed a preliminary hearing at which an impartial hearing officer will make determinations and recommendations required by the UCMJ prior to any further trial proceedings – including whether or not there is probable cause to believe an offense has been committed and to offer a recommendation as to the disposition of the case."
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