The Navy has punished more than two dozen officers and sailors for the dayslong fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard amphibious assault ship.
This action came as a result of the Navy’s finding that the response to the fire was inadequate, and fire prevention measures were lacking. An investigation released last year that concluded an act of arson had started the fire, but the inability to extinguish it ultimately destroyed the ship.
The Navy announced Friday the commanding officer of the ship, Capt. Gregory Scott Thoroman, has received a career-ending punitive letter of reprimand and forfeiture of pay, and both the executive officer and the command master chief also received similar letters. Lower ranking officers and sailors aboard the ship were disciplined with other measures.
In addition, three admirals received derogatory letters from the secretary of the Navy.
“This fire could have been prevented with adequate oversight into the ship’s material condition and the crew’s readiness to combat a fire,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a statement.
The actions announced on Friday are separate from the ongoing criminal proceedings against the seaman apprentice accused of starting the fire, Ryan Mays.
The fire started in July 2020 while the ship was undergoing an overhaul in San Diego. It burned for days and injured over 60 sailors and civilians before firefighters were able to put it out. Around 60% of the ship was destroyed, Navy officials told CBS News at the time.
Restoring the ship to its previous condition would cost an estimated $2.5 to $3.2 billion and would take five to seven years, so the Navy decided instead to decommission and dismantle the ship.
