UPDATE: Fire On Submarine USS Miami was no accident

Seems the fire that broke out on board USS MIAMI on May 23 was a deliberate act of arson.  One of the civilian workers was stressed, taking prescribed medications, and wanted to go home early.  He set fire to some rags on a bunk in one of the berthing areas.

A few weeks later, he apparently set a second fire in the same drydock outside the sub, but it was much less severe.

See previous blog article:    http://www.taproot.com/archives/32046

Latest news article here:  http://news.yahoo.com/worker-charged-arsons-maine-sub-fire-145702234.html

The fire caused over $400 million in damage.  The Navy is still deciding whether the ship is salvageable or not.  Luckily, no one was injured, although it took over 10 hours and dozens of firefighters working in near-zero visibility to control the blaze.

As an aside, the original “cause” of the blaze was thought to be a fire in a vacuum cleaner that ingested something hot.  A solid investigation, along with good evidence gathering, helped narrow down the real issue.  Of course, I’m not convinced they are still at the final cause, but at least it looks like they are making progress on the investigation.