Witness: Sailor was in area where fire started on US warship

By JULIE WATSON

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A cardinal witnesser successful the Navy’s lawsuit against a inferior sailor accused of mounting the occurrence that destroyed a U.S. warship past twelvemonth testified Tuesday that helium is definite that helium saw the fishy successful the country wherever the flames ignited, but acknowledged changing the relationship helium initially told investigators.

Petty Officer Kenji Velasco blamed his nervousness for the changes to his communicative and said successful subject tribunal during a preliminary proceeding that helium was present “100 percent” definite that helium saw the suspect, Apprentice Ryan Sawyer Mays, descend to the ship’s little conveyance retention country connected the time of the fire.

Investigators person said cardboard boxes successful the retention country were ignited, starting the blaze that burned for astir 5 days connected the USS Bonhomme Richard successful July 2020, injuring dozens of unit aboard and sending acrid fume wafting implicit San Diego. It marked 1 of the worst non-combat warship disasters successful caller memory. The amphibious battle vessel was damanged truthful severely damaged that it had to beryllium scuttled.

Mays has denied igniting the fire, insisting helium was connected the ship’s hangar bay erstwhile the occurrence started.

Mays is charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel. The proceeding that started Monday and continued Tuesday volition find whether determination is capable grounds for a subject trial.

Navy prosecutors person alleged that Mays was “disgruntled” aft dropping retired of Navy SEAL training, but Mays’ lawyers said determination was nary carnal grounds connecting him to the blaze.

Velasco and 2 different sailors testified Tuesday that Mays was combative, disrespectful and had a mediocre cognition aft helium dropped retired of the grueling SEAL grooming and was assigned to the ship’s platform duty, which was mostly cleaning work.

Mays’ lawyers grilled Velasco astir not initially naming Mays arsenic the idiosyncratic helium saw. Initially, Velasco told investigators helium did not admit the idiosyncratic helium saw that greeting and said whoever did it did not beryllium to his platform department, which Mays did.

Velasco besides contradicted himself astir whether helium saw Mays straight oregon from the broadside and astir what clip helium saw Mays descend to the area.

He agreed with a defence lawyer that helium was told by investigators astatine 1 constituent “you conscionable support flip flopping around” truthful they did not cognize what had happened.

But Velasco said things became much wide successful his caput aft helium thought astir them more.

“I conscionable wanted to marque definite it was him that I saw,” Velasco said.

About 160 sailors and officers were connected committee erstwhile the occurrence started connected the 840-foot (256-meter) vessel, which had been docked astatine Naval Base San Diego portion undergoing a two-year, $250 cardinal upgrade.

Winds coming disconnected San Diego Bay whipped up the flames that changeable up the ship’s elevator shafts and exhaust stacks. Two explosions — 1 heard arsenic acold arsenic 13 miles (21 kilometers) distant — caused the occurrence to grow.

More than 60 sailors and civilians were treated for insignificant injuries, vigor exhaustion and fume inhalation. The billion-dollar vessel was scrapped due to the fact that of extended structural, electrical and mechanical damage.

Officials assessing the ship’s harm recovered 3 of 4 occurrence stations connected the vessel had grounds of tampering: Fire hoses had been disconnected and 1 was cut, according to tribunal documents.

Investigators besides recovered uncapped bottles containing tiny amounts of highly flammable liquid adjacent the ignition site, including 1 that tested affirmative for a dense petroleum distillate specified arsenic diesel, kerosene oregon pitchy fuel, according to the documents.

Defense Attorney Gary Barthel pointed retired that nary DNA linked to Mays was recovered astatine the country and questioned wherefore investigators concluded Mays did it aft they recovered a lighter among his belongings.

“Were determination different individuals connected the vessel with lighters?” Barthel asked a national occurrence researcher who testified for the Navy, and who agreed determination apt were.

Defense lawyers connected Monday objected to the proceeding itself, saying they were not fixed capable clip to reappraisal the evidence.

Navy prosecutors argued the lawsuit was cautiously investigated. They person collected much than 28,000 pages of worldly and hours of video to physique their case.

Dozens of Navy officials, including respective admirals, look disciplinary enactment for systematic failures that investigators said prevented the blaze from being enactment retired sooner, according to investigators.