SAN DIEGO—The sailor charged with starting a fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard last year was assigned to the ship after dropping out of training to become a Navy SEAL, and he was described by some fellow sailors as a person who had disdain for the Navy, according to investigators.
Details of 20-year-old Ryan Mays and the early investigation into the worst U.S. warship fire in recent memory were revealed in a search warrant unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Diego.