USS Guardian: CO, 3 others relieved after grounding review

Stars and Stripes ^ | 4-3-2013 | Erik Slavin

[haffast]

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan -- The commanding officer of the former minesweeper USS Guardian and three others have been relieved of duty following the initial investigation into the grounding of the Sasebo-based ship on a reef in the Philippines, Navy officials said Thursday.

Lt. Cmdr. Mark Rice, executive officer Daniel Tyler, the ship’s enlisted assistant navigator and the officer of the deck at the time of the ship’s grounding were all relieved because they “did not adhere to the standard navy navigation procedures,” Expeditionary Strike Group Seven spokesman Lt. Brian Wierzbicki said.

Rice and the others were relieved by Rear Adm. Jeffrey Harley, commander of the Sasebo, Japan-based Amphibious Force 7th Fleet. Harley cited a “loss of confidence” in Rice’s ability to command, a common reason cited when Navy commanders are relieved.

Rice is at least the seventh Navy commanding officer to be relieved of duty this year.

All of the relieved sailors have been reassigned to Expeditionary Strike Group 7 headquarters in Sasebo pending completion of the investigation, officials said Thursday.

snip

[haffast]

25 Navy commanders dismissed
By Cristina Silva
Stars and Stripes
Published: December 27, 2012
http://www.stripes.com/25-navy-commanders-dismissed-1.202123

[Paladin2]

Navigational skillz are at a premium.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

GPS is the death of navigation.

[twister881]

Adm. Chester Nimitz arguably was the Navy's finest officer, after perhaps himself, John Paul Jones. As an ensign, Nimitz ran a ship aground in 1907, and he was convicted at a court-martial for the incident. Three years later, he was promoted to lieutenant. If the Navy then had thrown away Nimitz, it's conceivable we might have lost the war in the Pacific during WWII. In today's risk averse, PC Navy, too often the wrong people are being promoted. It's the “pretty boys” who won't take a chance or stick their necks out for anyone, let alone their men. The “warriors” who are take-charge and innovative have their careers ruined for any mistake or indiscretion. Sad, really.

[Thebaddog]

Last I saw, they were dismantling the ship. Watzup withat? Did they destroy a ship to save the reef?

[hosepipe]

Democrats???

[Portcall24]

I’ve long said that it appears to me the Navy leads the way when it comes to ‘eating their young’.

[stuartcr]

They dismantled the ship because they couldn’t get it off the reef without it breaking into pieces

[0.E.O]

The ship was basically totaled when it hit the reef, wound up being turned broadside by the waves, and tore out her whole bottom. If they tried hauling it off it would just sink. Dismantling it on site was really the only alternative.

[Freeport]

Last pieces were removed earlier this week or late last week. An assesment of the damage to the reef is ongoing.

The US is looking at a $2 millon fine for the damage.

[tanknetter]

The ship was basically totaled when it hit the reef, wound up being turned broadside by the waves, and tore out her whole bottom. If they tried hauling it off it would just sink. Dismantling it on site was really the only alternative.

Yup. The ship wooden-hulled with a fiberglas coating. The pictures of the dismantling and lifting are out on navy.mil ... the entire underside of the hull was shredded.

[tanknetter]

If the Navy then had thrown away Nimitz, it's conceivable we might have lost the war in the Pacific during WWII.

Nimitz's career was only saved because he went out and made himself the USN's expert in diesel engines, which ended up boat-tailing perfectly with the emergence of the submarine.

There are still cases where "disgraced" officers are allowed to redeem themselves and their careers. There was a case that came to some prominence recently where a Naval Aviator who had shot down a USAF recce F-4 during an exercise back in the 80s, and had been relieved of his career as a pilot, stayed in and retooled himself as a JAG lawyer (in the Reserves, I think). He made it to O-6 and was up for promotion to Rear Admiral when the incident earlier in his career hit the press. His promotion ended up pulled because of it ...

[Pan_Yan]

This is not new, but I don't know if it was necessarily Navy wide in the past. In the early 90s something like 40% of submarine captains didn't finish their command tour which is usually about four years. Of course during that time the Navy was cutting the number of boats and vastly increasing the variety and complexity of the missions as subs went from cold war hunters to intel gathering spooks. Lots of collisions, groundings, sinking civilian ships, floods, reactor safety violations, etc.

[driftdiver]

Perhaps they should relieve the guy who screwed up the charts.

[driftdiver]

That officer was well connected. He stay in and had a career because of who he was related too and it had nothing to do with his ability.

[Night Hides Not]

I’ve long said that it appears to me the Navy leads the way when it comes to ‘eating their young’.

IMHO, that distinction belongs to the Army's Air Defense Artillery. Back in my day, Captains were passed over to Major if they had one efficiency report that said you created a ripple when walking on water.

Of course, different standards were applied to the Ring Knockers.

[Portcall24]

“passed over to Major if they had one efficiency report that said you created a ripple when walking on water.”

I love the analogy. I was thinking more like the way the Navy went after the guy on Iowa explosion, the Pueblo and things like that.

Of course the AF did a pretty good job on careers based upon SAC’s approach which was highlighted with this reported quote right before firing a commander: “I can’t afford to differentiate between the incompetent and the unfortunate.” -Gen. Curtis LeMay

[Thebaddog]

Isn’t that covered by the collision coverage on their insurance?

[2CAVTrooper]

This is not just a Navy problem, it’s like that in the other branches too.

One of the best CO’s I ever had was railroaded out of the military because he stood up for us, while knob polishing “Blue Falcons”, and idiots who couldn’t lead themselves to the latrine would get promoted.

[twister881]

Yes, the finest Navy officer I ever knew — a man who stuck his neck out for me twice — had his career ruined by the Tailhook incident. Paula Coughlin, the inveterate liar who precipitated the mess, was a member of his staff. He did all he could to support the wretch, but she turned around and f***ed him over but good. But hey, who's bitter?