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Posted on 11/12/2026 9:43:04 PM PST by Red Badger
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 Navy never publicly announced the dismissal when it happened.
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.
More from the news outlet:
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.
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[Navy Quietly Relieves Female Commander of USS Michael Murphy]
She ran calling “Wildfire!...”
ISWYDT.....................
Oh, Michael Martin Murphey
Never mind
😆
My guess is she was ‘fraternizing’ with certain crewmembers. just a guess..................
My first thought too.
She might as well resign her commission. She’ll never advance in rank and never get another ship. If she was a he, she’d be transferred to Adak Alaska. Does this comment show my age? Asking for a friend. 🫤
-PJ
Before everyone tells me the military isn’t there anymore (we used to call it BFE) where the hell is BFE now?
It’s them again Yogi.
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