A fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego on July 12, 2020.Photo by US NAVY/LT JOHN J MIKE HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
SAN DIEGO — A 19-year-old San Diego sailor was so unhappy with his life as a deck seaman after failing to become a Navy SEAL that, in the summer of 2020, he snuck into a vehicle storage area on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard and ignited a spark, according to Navy prosecutors. That spark turned into a blaze that, over the next four days, burned and destroyed the $1.2 billion warship, they said. That's the story Navy Cmdr. Leah O'Brien told a judge during opening statements in the court-martial of Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays that kicked off this week. Over the past two days, prosecuto...