Posted on 03/23/2005 2:13:23 PM PST by IonImplantGuru
Six submariners assigned to the submarine USS San Francisco have been punished for dereliction of duty or putting a vessel in danger in connection with a Jan. 8 incident in which the submarine slammed into a seamount in the Pacific, killing one sailor and injuring 98 others.
The San Francisco was making a trip to Australia when it came to periscope depth to fix its position accurately a little more than 400 miles southwest of Guam. Minutes after diving, and while traveling at a high rate of speed, the submarine hit a seamount in an area where official Navy charts list 6,000 feet of water.
The executive officer, a lieutenant commander, and the navigator, a lieutenant, received permanent punitive letters of censure, Navy sources said Tuesday.
The assistant navigator, a senior chief electronics technician, received a similar letter and was stripped of his Navy enlisted classification, which ousts him from the submarine force.
Three other enlisted men, all members of the San Francisco navigation team, were demoted one rank, one of them from electronics technician 1st class to electronics technician 2nd class, and two others from 2nd class to 3rd class.
(Excerpt) Read more at theday.com ...
A literal case of 'adding insult to injury'!
Reposted Day article, since Navy Times can't be used on FR.
the navigation crew had taken a sounding that showed the water to be thousands of feet shallower than on the charts. Though still showing ample water under the keel for safe operation, the discrepancy should have prompted more caution, the sources said.
If that is in fact true (and it appears that it is), then the Navy is correct in assesing partial blame to several individuals.
Retire with full pay and benefits while 3 enlisted each lost 1 rank. The monetary value is enormous. Not to mention the other officers only get a "letter of censure".... I hate the NJP process. It's very harsh on enlisted while officers basically get off the hook.
Personally I think they're punishing scapegoats, when it's the 'system' that's broken. But I will fess up some 'Monday morning quarterbacking' since I wasn't there to see the evidence. Perhaps we'll all be illuminated when and if the official investigation report is released.
"Retire with full pay and benefits while 3 enlisted each lost 1 rank. The monetary value is enormous. Not to mention the other officers only get a "letter of censure".... I hate the NJP process. It's very harsh on enlisted while officers basically get off the hook."
The Captain will AUTOMATICALLY be administratively reviewed for retirement at a lower grade if he retires within 3 years of receiving a 'Captain's Mast'.
As far as the permanent letters of censure for the officers, yu can rest assured that their careers are DONE. No promotions - no retirement.
By law you CANNOT 'bust' an officer down in rank either administratively or in a court-martial sentence. (except in the case listed above with retirement-eligible officers).
Sign me a
'Former JAG'
"Retire with full pay and benefits while 3 enlisted each lost 1 rank. The monetary value is enormous. Not to mention the other officers only get a "letter of censure".... I hate the NJP process. It's very harsh on enlisted while officers basically get off the hook."
...not to mention the Sr Chief lost his dolphins...that's money out of his pocket with the loss of SS pay and sea pay...and a shot at MCPO looks bleak as well. Isn't it "Navy Tradition" for accountability to increase with rank? Looks to me as though it's just a quick/easy ticket to retirement...with FULL pay and FULL benefits! What a crock!
Cool a JAG. What type of fighter jet do you fly? How did you like Hell Week in Buds? Does LtCol Catherine Bell have an unmarried sister?
LMAO.
Oh whoop de do... No money out of pocket, no loss of rank, no restriction, no nothing. They still have full pay and benefits while they finish out what's left of their career waiting to be twice passed over for promotion (2xos) and then collect severance pay when they get forced out.
I've never heard of an officer actually being forced to retire at a lower rank. Even so, retirement pay for an O6, O5, or O4 is much better than any enlisted would hope to see.
LMAO!
"Navy sources have said, however, that the damage to the ship, particularly the alignment of some of the propulsion equipment, is worse than initially believed and that the submarine may have to be scrapped...In addition, a bulkhead at the front end of the ship was buckled."--Boot Hill
"The punishments, and the lines of questioning, seem to support claims by Navy sources last month that the submarine had not updated its charts with notices to mariners, some dating back to the 1960s and some made as recently as last year, that would indicate a seamount in an area where the water was supposed to be several thousand feet deep." (emphasis added)--Boot Hill
Up until this point I was wondering how people could be discipined for following a chart.
As an ex-squid I was hired by, and answered directly to THE JAG (admiral) after he retired. Needless to say I would needle him like that every chance I got. After that much time in and doing the job that he did, he had quite a sense of humor about it. He was great to work for and a straight shooter. I would be interested to hear his take on this episode.
'Former JAG'
Wow, I've seen your show. You got to work with some nice babes.
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