![]() ![]() It wasn't until days later that he told investigators he saw someone he didn't recognize in coveralls and carrying a bucket go to the area. The day of the fire, Velasco told no one that he saw anyone go down below, even in case a fellow shipmate's life might be in danger with the blaze roaring up from the ship's belly at the time, the defense pointed out. Torres said the Navy case hinges on the testimony of one sailor, Seaman Kenji Velasco, who has changed his account over time. ![]() Jordi Torres, the lead defense attorney, said. “Seaman Mays pointed out that there were fire hazards on this ship, and now he's facing a court-martial for arson," Lt. The investigators took no notes, no photos of either of those other potential causes, they say. “That sucker punch from behind, that's what the Navy could have never prevented," he said.ĭefense lawyers say the trial only exposed a shoddy probe by government investigators who rushed to judgement and failed to collect evidence showing that the culprit also could have been lithium ion batteries or a sparking forklift instead of arson. Jones told the judge there is no doubt the Navy “loses the ship" that morning, but Mays is to blame for igniting it. The failure to extinguish or contain the fire led to temperatures exceeding 1,200 degrees (649 Celsius) in some areas, melting sections of the ship into molten metal that flowed into other parts of the ship. Jason Jones, acknowledged in court a Navy report last year that concluded that the inferno was preventable and unacceptable, and that there were lapses in training, coordination, communications, fire preparedness, equipment maintenance and overall command and control. ![]()
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