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Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays was acquitted of charges of arson and
the willful hazarding of a ship, Commander Sean Robertson, a
spokesman for the U.S. 3rd Fleet, said in a statement.
The decision followed a two-week court-martial in which Navy
prosecutors argued that Mays, who was 19 at the time of the
blaze, started the fire due to disgruntlement with his work.
Defense lawyers said lithium-ion batteries or a spark from a
short on a forklift could have been to blame.
"The Navy is committed to upholding the principles of due
process and a fair trial," Robertson said.
Had Mays been found guilty, he could have faced life in prison.
More than 60 people, including about 40 sailors, were treated
for minor injuries during four days of fighting flames on the
844-foot-long (257-meter) warship, which was docked for
maintenance at its homeport at U.S. Naval Base San Diego.
The Bonhomme Richard, whose size ranks second in the U.S. Navy
fleet to that of an aircraft carrier, was so badly damaged, the
$1.2 billion vessel had to be scrapped.
(Reporting By Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Jonathan
Oatis)
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