Casey Fury: The Worker Who Destroyed a U.S. Navy Submarine
In May 2012, a routine workday at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, turned into one of the most costly acts of workplace sabotage in U.S. Navy history.
A shipyard painter named Casey James Fury deliberately started a fire aboard the USS Miami (SSN-755), a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. His motive was shockingly simple: he wanted to get out of work early.
What followed was a devastating blaze that burned for nearly 12 hours, injured several firefighters, caused more than $400 million in damage, and ultimately forced the Navy to scrap a submarine worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
A Routine Repair Turns Into Disaster
The USS Miami had been undergoing a scheduled overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Importantly, the submarine’s nuclear reactor had already been shut down and its nuclear fuel removed before maintenance began, so there was never a risk of a nuclear accident.
On May 23, 2012, Casey Fury was working as a sandblaster and painter aboard the submarine. According to investigators, he had been struggling with anxiety and was taking medication.
That morning, Fury wanted to leave work early. Instead of asking for permission, he chose a far more destructive solution.
He Started the Fire on Purpose
Investigators later determined that Fury lit a small fire using a cigarette lighter and a vacuum cleaner filled with combustible materials inside the submarine.
He believed the fire would be discovered quickly, allowing workers to evacuate and end their shifts early.
Instead, the flames spread rapidly through the vessel’s confined compartments.
The fire burned for almost 12 hours, requiring more than 100 firefighters from multiple departments to bring it under control. Seven firefighters suffered injuries, mostly from heat exhaustion, smoke inhalation, and minor burns.
Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Damage
The blaze destroyed electrical systems, living quarters, command spaces, and critical equipment throughout the submarine.
Initially, Navy officials planned to repair the USS Miami. Engineers estimated the repairs would cost approximately $450 million.
However, as defense budgets tightened, the Navy concluded that repairing the aging submarine no longer made financial sense.
In 2014, officials announced that the USS Miami would be permanently decommissioned and dismantled instead of repaired.
Investigators Uncovered the Truth
At first, investigators treated the fire as an accident.
As the investigation continued, inconsistencies in Casey Fury’s statements raised suspicion. Eventually, he admitted that he had deliberately started the blaze.
Even more shocking, Fury later confessed that he had set another fire aboard the same submarine on June 16, 2012. Fortunately, workers quickly extinguished that second fire before it could spread.
Conviction and Sentencing
Casey Fury pleaded guilty to arson.
In 2015, a federal judge sentenced him to 17 years and six months in prison. The court also ordered him to pay $400 million in restitution—one of the largest restitution orders ever imposed in a U.S. criminal case. While it is unlikely he will ever repay that amount in full, the order reflected the enormous financial loss caused by his actions.
His decision to avoid part of a workday ultimately destroyed a nuclear submarine, injured firefighters, and cost American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
A Costly Lesson
The USS Miami never returned to service. A single act of arson transformed a routine maintenance project into one of the most expensive criminal acts ever committed against a U.S. Navy vessel.
The case remains a striking example of how one impulsive decision can have consequences far beyond what anyone imagines.
Thank You for Reading
Thank you for taking the time to read this story.
If you enjoy true crime, historical events, mysteries, and fascinating stories from around the world, be sure to subscribe to phactsblog.com so you never miss a new article. Also, don’t forget to follow Phacts on Facebook and our other social media platforms for daily stories, rare historical photos, and incredible facts delivered straight to your feed.
Share this:
Discover more from PHACTS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.