Navy Quietly Relieves Female Commander of USS Michael Murphy Just Before Homecoming from 11-Month Combat Deployment in Operation Epic Fury

The U.S. Navy quietly relieved Commander Caitlin Cunningham as commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) on September 27, 2026.

Cmdr. Caitlin Cunningham, commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), was relieved of her duties on September 27, 2026, over what Navy officials described as a “loss of confidence.”

The stunning development was first reported Thursday by USNI News, which confirmed the removal with a Navy spokesperson.

Cunningham had been in command for less than a year, having taken over the warship on October 24, 2025.

And the Navy has offered no detailed explanation for why she was suddenly removed from one of America's frontline warships.

According to USNI News, no additional information about the circumstances surrounding Cunningham's dismissal was immediately available.

The Navy quietly relieved the commanding officer of a naval destroyer initially deployed as part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, USNI News has learned.

The Navy relieved Cmdr. Caitlin Cunningham on Sept. 27 due to a loss of confidence, a Navy spokesperson confirmed Tuesday to USNI News. Cunningham’s dismissal occurred just under a year into her tenure as the skipper of USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112).

No additional information was immediately available. Cunningham assumed the leadership of the destroyer on Oct. 24, 2025, ahead of the ship’s deployment.

Michael Murphy deployed on Dec. 1 to be part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group. Michael Murphy, homeported in Pearl Harbor, initially sailed to the Indo-Pacific region as a destroyer escort before heading to the Middle East following the carrier strike group’s orders as part of Operation Epic Fury and the ongoing naval blockade.

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) left the Middle East in August with escorts USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) and USS Robert Smalls (CG-62). Michael Murphy stayed behind.

The destroyer left the Middle East in the middle of October, heading to the Philippines in late October and then Guam in the beginning of November, according to Navy photos.

The destroyer is expected home this week, putting the ship’s deployment at 346 days, about 24 days longer than Lincoln. The Navy has warned families that 10-11 month deployments will be the new standard for the next couple of years.

On Tuesday, Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific put out a video on Facebook showing homecoming planning for Michael Murphy. The video did not include a date for its return to Pearl Harbor.

Fraternization would do it. Disobeying direct lawful orders, that would do it. Being at sea for that long is arduous duty. Making comments that undermine the Chain of Command. The Navy never will tell you the details.just like they don’t announce their operations with carefully going through its public affairs. It’s a good policy. They have a mission. Details would undermine the mission. The Commander (O5) was highly decorated. Meritorious Service Medal 2 Navy Commendation Medals, etc. I’ve seen in my day, a flag officer having a tryst with an enlisted. They sent them to an office (a cubby hole) in the Pentagon and they quietly retired. When you’re in command that kind of behavior is undermining and distracting to the mission. It’s a shame. God knows but our Navy is not going into the details. Ultimately responsible is a term used in my day. That CO is ultimately responsible for everything on her ship. Let’s put it this way. She did something.And someone above her didn’t like it.

“Rest easy, sailor”

AI Overview:

USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) is an Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided-missile destroyer in the United States Navy.

• Namesake: Named after Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy (1976–2005), who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan.

• Military Service: Commissioned as a U.S. Navy officer in 2000, graduated from BUD/S Class 236, and served as a Navy SEAL with SDVT-1 (SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1).

Awards & Legacy

• Medal of Honor: Posthumously awarded on October 22, 2007, making him the first U.S. Navy recipient of the award since the Vietnam War and the first for actions in the War in Afghanistan. He also received the Silver Star and Purple Heart.

Operation Red Wings was a joint military counter-insurgent mission conducted by U.S. forces from June 27 to mid-July 2005 in the Hindu Kush mountains of Kunar Province, Afghanistan.

Operation Red Wings (June 28, 2005)

• The Mission: Murphy commanded a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team in the Hindu Kush range of Kunar Province, Afghanistan, tasked with locating a Taliban-aligned militia leader.

The Mission and Compromise

• Objective: The mission aimed to capture or kill a local Taliban-aligned militia leader named Ahmad Shah, who operated in the Korangal Valley region.

• The Sacrifice: Severely wounded, Lieutenant Murphy deliberately left cover and walked into open terrain to get a clear signal on his satellite phone to transmit a distress call and relay his team’s position. He completed the call while under heavy fire, returned to the fight, and was killed.

• Casualties & Survival: Murphy, Danny Dietz, and Matthew Axelson were killed in the battle, along with 16 personnel aboard a rescue helicopter that was shot down. Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell was the sole surviving team member.

• Compromise: Local goat herders stumbled upon the team’s hidden position. After releasing them according to rules of engagement, the team was tracked and quickly ambushed by a superior force of 30 to 50+ militia fighters loyal to Shah.

• Downed Chinook: A Quick Reaction Force (QRF) aboard an MH-47 Chinook helicopter was dispatched to rescue the team. As it approached, an RPG-7 fired by insurgents struck the aircraft, crashing it and killing all 16 personnel on board (8 Navy SEALs and 8 U.S. Army Special Operations “Night Stalkers”).

Aftermath

• The Sole Survivor: Marcus Luttrell survived the initial ambush with severe injuries. He crawled several miles and was taken in and protected by local Afghan villagers in a traditional pashtunwali code of hospitality until U.S. forces successfully rescued him on July 2, 2005.

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