Court Documents Identify Sailor Charged With Arson in Fire That Destroyed Ship
The sailor, Ryan Sawyer Mays, who holds the rank of seaman apprentice, is accused of starting one of the worst fires to engulf an American warship outside combat.
Sailors and federal firefighters combating a blaze onboard the warship Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego in July 2020.Credit.United States Navy
Aug. 4, 2021
WASHINGTON Investigators have identified the Navy sailor accused of starting a fire that engulfed the warship Bonhomme Richard and burned for days at a Navy base in San Diego last year.
The sailor, Ryan Sawyer Mays, 20, joined the service in May 2019 and holds the rank of seaman apprentice, according to Navy records. The Navy formally charged Seaman Mays with aggravated arson and hazarding a vessel last month but declined to provide additional details until federal search warrants were unsealed by a federal court in San Diego on Tuesday.