A Navy investigation finds the ailing skipper of a San Diego-based Navy cruiser retreated to his cabin for several weeks in the middle of a deployment, leaving the 330-member crew leaderless. The probe also revealed that the skipper of the USS Cowpens, Capt. Gregory W. Gombert, was having an improper and "unduly familiar" relationship with the cruiser's acting executive officer, U-T San Diego reported Wednesday.
