A Guy Started a Fire on a Nuclear Submarine to Leave Work Early - Polidicks

[quote] An anxiety-ridden civilian itching to “get out of work” at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard ignited the blaze that caused more than $400 million in damage to a nuclear sub and injured several firefighters two months ago, according to authorities. Casey James Fury, 24, of Portsmouth is due in Maine federal court today to face to two counts of arson, stemming from the May 23 blaze on the USS Miami sub and a second, smaller fire authorities said he set weeks later at the shipyard on June 16 as his “mind was racing” from a text conversation with his ex-girlfriend, according to an affidavit filed in the case. The multimillion-dollar blaze aboard the USS Miami drew an army of firefighters, who battled the fire for 12 hours, authorities said. Seven jakes suffered minor injuries. Officials later said the fire started in a stateroom, where Fury — after failing a lie-detector test — admitted to using a Bic lighter to set ablaze a bag of rags and a vacuum cleaner, according to the affidavit. “At approximately 5:30 p.m., his anxiety started getting really bad,” the affidavit read. “The reason he set the fire was in order to get out of work.” Fury told authorities he was taking a cocktail of medications, including Celexa for anxiety and depression, Klonopin for anxiety, Ambien for insomnia and Zyrtec for allergies, according to the affidavit. He checked himself into an in-patient mental health facility on June 21 and checked out two days later, authorities said. Fury initially denied knowing how the blaze started, telling authorities another employee tapped him on the shoulder and told him to pull the fire alarm because there was smoke, according to the affidavit. Fury is also accused of setting a second blaze on June 16 that authorities said was sparked on the dry dock cradle and caused “little or no” damage. Authorities believe that fire was started using alcohol wipes, though Fury initially denied setting that one as well, according to the affidavit. He admitted causing that blaze in a July 18 interview, telling authorities that he “began texting his former girlfriend and attempted to convince her that the guy she started seeing was not just a friend like she had been claiming,” the affidavit reads. “Fury explained that he became anxious over the text conversation with his ex-girlfriend and wanted to leave work,” according to the affidavit. He allegedly told authorities that he started pacing and eventually walked to the back of the boat, where he saw a bag of alcohol wipes. He then removed the wipes, stuffed them into a corner around fire resistant wood and placed some wipes and a piece of plywood over it on a structure used to hold the boat up while it’s in dry dock, according to the affidavit. Authorities said he then again used a lighter to set the fire. Fury has an initial court appearance scheduled for 3:45 p.m., today in Portland federal court. He could face life in prison if convicted.[/quote] [url]http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20220723feds_400m_nuke_sub_fire_set_by_employee_looking_to_get_out_of_work/[/url] Must had been boring

Wow....life in prison for one day of getting out of work early. Nice going there buddy.

[QUOTE]after failing a lie-detector test[/QUOTE] God dammit, people still use these?

[QUOTE=Greenen72;36914770]God dammit, people still use these?[/QUOTE] Yes they use them but they can't be used in court.

They need to damn well tell people who take the lie detector test that the test cannot be used as evidence, it's basically trapping them to confess. He won't get life though, he couldn't stand anymore on at ship and was at breaking point, it was not as though he needs punishment as though he did it to destroy the entire submarine.

[QUOTE=eurocracy;36914814]They need to damn well tell people who take the lie detector test that the test cannot be used as evidence, it's basically trapping them to confess.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure that's how lie detectors were pretty much first intended to work.

James Fury. Awesome name! [quote]Celexa for anxiety and depression, Klonopin for anxiety, Ambien for insomnia and Zyrtec for allergies[/quote] Side effects: Anxiety acute enough to start a fire in a nuclear submarine. I love how stuff like migraine pills can cause migraine. So helpful.

I'm embarrassed to live within a 50 mile radius of this dumbass.

I'd say life is a little long for this - sure, he did damage for a boat-load of money, and some firefighters were injured (okay, a lot of this depends on how badly these firemen were injured), but I don't think he should get more prison time than a rapist or that alike.

[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;36915026]I'd say life is a little long for this - sure, he did damage for a boat-load of money, and some firefighters were injured (okay, a lot of this depends on how badly these firemen were injured), but I don't think he should get more prison time than a rapist or that alike.[/QUOTE] lets consider that he lit a [b]nuclear[/b] submarine on fire. If that fire had gone anywhere near the nuclear reactor shit would of been a lot worse.

not really, you can submerge those things in lava and they'll be ok the problem is that nuclear submarines are incredibly expensive, lighting them on fire can cause incredible damage to onboard electronics as well as endangering the crew (though i don't think anyone was on board at the time since she was drydocked). there was no danger of a nuclear meltdown.

He needs to be in jail. Had that fire breached the reactor somehow he would have been single-handedly responsible for irradiating hundreds of square miles of both coastland and ocean. As it is he destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer property. Is it guilty of life? Maybe not. He damn well would be if he decided "Ya know what'd be hilarious? Torching a nuclear attack sub!" But that wasn't why he did it, he just snapped. 5-10 years, I think, would be suitable.[QUOTE=Lalelalala;36914931] Side effects: Anxiety acute enough to start a fire in a nuclear submarine. I love how stuff like migraine pills can cause migraine. So helpfull.[/QUOTE] That's why I won't take most pills on the market right now. I don't want to take a pill which gives me worse side effects than what it's supposed to deal with, including giving me the very thing I take it for. [editline]24th July 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=teh pirate;36915296]not really, you can submerge those things in lava and they'll be ok the problem is that nuclear submarines are incredibly expensive, lighting them on fire can cause incredible damage to onboard electronics as well as endangering the crew (though i don't think anyone was on board at the time since she was drydocked). there was no danger of a nuclear meltdown.[/QUOTE] Idunno about that. If the fire were to damage the reactor controls in such a way that the crew couldn't control the reactor, and that caused it to go out of control, we would have had a serious problem. The fire doesn't need to directly torch the reactor itself to cause it to go pop, it needs only damage the computers controlling it in the right way. It's a slim chance I'll admit, we build those reactors to be quite literally bulletproof, but it is possible.

erm even if the controls failed and it had a meltdown (unlikely since it has internal automatic failsafes separate from the controls) it'd be contained within the reactor shell

[QUOTE=TestECull;36915532]He needs to be in jail. Had that fire breached the reactor somehow he would have been single-handedly responsible for irradiating hundreds of square miles of both coastland and ocean. As it is he destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer property. Is it guilty of life? Maybe not. He damn well would be if he decided "Ya know what'd be hilarious? Torching a nuclear attack sub!" But that wasn't why he did it, he just snapped. 5-10 years, I think, would be suitable. That's why I won't take most pills on the market right now. I don't want to take a pill which gives me worse side effects than what it's supposed to deal with, including giving me the very thing I take it for. [editline]24th July 2012[/editline] Idunno about that. If the fire were to damage the reactor controls in such a way that the crew couldn't control the reactor, and that caused it to go out of control, we would have had a serious problem. The fire doesn't need to directly torch the reactor itself to cause it to go pop, it needs only damage the computers controlling it in the right way. It's a slim chance I'll admit, we build those reactors to be quite literally bulletproof, but it is possible.[/QUOTE] Pretty sure the control rods are forced into the reactor in the event of lost of power/control, causing complete shutdown.

[QUOTE=eurocracy;36914814]They need to damn well tell people who take the lie detector test that the test cannot be used as evidence, it's basically trapping them to confess. He won't get life though, he couldn't stand anymore on at ship and was at breaking point, it was not as though he needs punishment as though he did it to destroy the entire submarine.[/QUOTE] Oh he'll be getting some serious punishment alright, from what I've heard the entire forward compartment of that boat is FUCKED.

What the fuck, did he think it would be like pulling the fire alarm at school?

if he was an anxious and unstable as it sounds, then it doesn't seem fair landing him a life sentence get the guy some help, don't lock him up

This sounds like something out of Space Station 13.

[QUOTE=Kai-ryuu;36915117]lets consider that he lit a [b]nuclear[/b] submarine on fire. If that fire had gone anywhere near the nuclear reactor shit would of been a lot worse.[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://images.lolfly.com/images/641/source/atomic_bomb_mushroom_cloud_explosion-707-1.gif[/IMG]

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;36923064][IMG]http://images.lolfly.com/images/641/source/atomic_bomb_mushroom_cloud_explosion-707-1.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE] More like a comparatively small explosion except with less radiation and an easier cleanup, but your sensationalized version is nice too.

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;36923064][IMG]http://images.lolfly.com/images/641/source/atomic_bomb_mushroom_cloud_explosion-707-1.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE] That's a nuclear [I]explosion[/I]. Nuclear reactors work by generating steam that's used to turn a turbine. The reactor is kept at a stable and controlled temperature. A nuclear meltdown happens when the core reaches extremely temperatures that it was never supposed to reach, and the fuel rods begin to melt and release radioactive particles into the air. Hydrogen explosions caused by the intense heat can damage the containment, which would allow radioactive particles to escape into the environment. (If I've missed anything or got anything wrong, feel free to correct me)

ITT: nuclear physicists. I think he should be punished quite harshly, but life seems a bit excessive.

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;36925233]That's a nuclear [I]explosion[/I]. Nuclear reactors work by generating steam that's used to turn a turbine. The reactor is kept at a stable and controlled temperature. A nuclear meltdown happens when the core reaches extremely temperatures that it was never supposed to reach, and the fuel rods begin to melt and release radioactive particles into the air. Hydrogen explosions caused by the intense heat can damage the containment, which would allow radioactive particles to escape into the environment. (If I've missed anything or got anything wrong, feel free to correct me)[/QUOTE] This is correct however the nuclear reactors found on submarines are self-moderating. They use liquid water as a moderator to induce the reaction. If the reaction speeds up and the reactor gets too hot the water which flows through the reactor core evaporates due to the heat and turns into steam. Steam, which is not a good moderator, slows down the reaction. The slower reactor then cools down, which in turn cools the steam back into water and returning the reactor back to it's normal reaction rate.

I think a great number of you fail to realize that even at the absolute worst-case scenario, the explosion from a nuclear submarine would not cause widespread damage. Especially in comparison with even a low-yield nuclear device. They don't just make these things like sardine cans with a whole bunch of uranium shoved in the back, they (surprise, surprise!) design them for the utmost in safety.

[QUOTE=ElectricSquid;36927433]I think a great number of you fail to realize that even at the absolute worst-case scenario, the explosion from a nuclear submarine would not cause widespread damage. Especially in comparison with even a low-yield nuclear device. They don't just make these things like sardine cans with a whole bunch of uranium shoved in the back, they (surprise, surprise!) design them for the utmost in safety.[/QUOTE] Home > Forum > Facepunch > Sensationalist Headlines

[QUOTE=Articsledder;36914955]I'm embarrassed to live within a 50 mile radius of this dumbass.[/QUOTE] I'm sure you have quite the reputation to keep up there buddy.

[QUOTE=.FLAP.JACK.DAN.;36914789]Yes they use them but they can't be used in court.[/QUOTE] I wonder why. I mean, it would make sense if court cases were actually based on the [i]truth[/i]

[QUOTE=Gekkosan;36930830]I wonder why. I mean, it would make sense if court cases were actually based on the [i]truth[/i][/QUOTE] It's mostly because they aren't 100% accurate. Innocent people have been known to fail tests, and vice versa.

[QUOTE=Gekkosan;36930830]I wonder why. I mean, it would make sense if court cases were actually based on the [i]truth[/i][/QUOTE] Lie detection isn't a real science.