Trial to start for sailor accused of igniting Navy warship

By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Prosecutors say a disgruntled sailor set the USS Bonhomme Richard on fire while his defense points to the fact that there is no physical evidence to prove that. The court martial of 21-year-old Ryan Sawyer Mays is scheduled to start Monday at Naval Base San Diego and last two weeks. Prosecutors say Mays wanted the Navy to pay after failing to become a Navy SEAL. Mays has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyers say the Navy is making him a scapegoat rather than take the blame for senior officers mismanaging the ship. The blaze was among the worst noncombat warship disasters in recent history.