Free Republic

Three U.S. Navy leaders, including two serving aboard a destroyer, were ousted late last week, the latest in a recent string of removals by the service. USS Bulkeley commanding officer Cmdr. Devine Johnson and Command Master Chief Earl Sanders were relieved of their duties Friday because of “a loss of confidence in their ability to effectively function as a leadership team,” the Navy said in a Saturday statement. Capt. William Harkin, the deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 2, will be temporarily assigned as commanding officer of Bulkeley until a replacement is identified. Master Chief Petty Officer Christy Reed, of the...

MANAMA, Bahrain – A request for assistance from a Japanese-owned merchant vessel in the Somali Basin led to Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) securing the release of the vessel and its 24 crew members from four suspected pirates, Mar. 6. At approximately 3.00pm local time, Mar. 5, the oil tanker MV Guanabara reported it was under attack when it was 328 nautical miles south east of Duqm, Oman. Bulkeley, assigned to CMF’s counter-piracy mission Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 was directed to intercept Guanabara, supported by the Turkish warship TCG Giresun of NATO’s counter-piracy Task Force...