The commanding officer of the USS West Virginia's Gold Crew was relieved of duty Monday because of "a loss of confidence" in his ability to command, Navy officials said.
There goes a career. Removed due to "lack of confidence" - ouch! Trident sub Captains are a select group so I guess he just didn't fit in? In-house politics?
Officials at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, where the West Virginia is homeported, said there was no specific incident that led to the removal of Cmdr. Charles "Tony" Hill. The decision was made by Capt. Daniel Mack, commander of Submarine Squadron Sixteen/Twenty.
Hill completed his first deployment as commanding officer aboard the West Virginia in November. He was commanding officer of one of two crews that alternate patrols aboard the Trident submarine.
But it's not the first time a Navy officer has been relieved of duties in the region. Since 1996, there have been at least five instances where local squadron or ship commanders were relieved, according to stories published in the Times-Union.
Most recently, Cmdr. Douglas A. Malin, commander of Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing Atlantic, was relieved of duty for loss of confidence in his ability to lead the unit. The Navy gave no reason for removing Malin from his command, based at Mayport Naval Station, in February.
In 2004, Capt. Steve Squires was relieved of command after his ship, the USS John F. Kennedy, hit and sank a small wooden boat in the Persian Gulf. No survivors were found.
Crunch. What was that tiny sound? That was the sound of your career sinking, Cap'n.
Cmdr. Guy Maiden, the officer in charge of Navy Fighter Squadron 103, was removed from his command in 2004, for an undisclosed off-duty incident during a port visit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Navy officials said. |