The U.S. 6th Fleet said Cmdr. Nathan Borchers was relieved from the USS Stout on Tuesday.
The Navy said it had lost confidence in Borchers' ability to address what it called a pattern of unprofessional behavior by his crew that included fraternization, orders violations and disregard for naval standards.
According to the AP, the "top aide" who was fired (along with Commander Borchers) was the ship's top enlisted sailor, Command Master Chief Susan Bruce-Ross.
Borchers is being replaced by Commander Sylvester Steele, the former executive officer of the USS Ramage, another Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The Navy has also selected Commander Master Chief Anthony Cole to replace Bruce-Ross. CMC Cole was most recently assigned at Naval Surface Force Atlantic HQ in Norfolk.
A Navy spokesman said Borchers and his command chief were relieved after an investigation revealed a "substandard command climate" aboard the Stout. The probe began following a series of drunken incidents involving Stout sailors during port visits in foreign nations. While those locations were not disclosed, the ship's blog said the guided missile destroyer visited Palermo, Sicily, Haifa, Israel and the Greek island of Crete this year, and Faslane, Scotland last year.
A 6th Fleet spokesman emphasized that neither Borchers nor Bruce-Ross were involved in the misconduct ashore. However, the Navy has removed one officer, five chiefs and one petty officer from the Stout in connection with the incidents.
The announcement of the command change on the Stout may explain why the vessel wasn't ordered into a Libyan port to evacuate Americans. With Borchers' leadership in question--and an investigation nearing completion--the 6th Fleet wasn't about to send the destroyer on a sensitive mission to a port city in the throes of revolution--and without key members of its "middle management" (the officer and chiefs removed from the ship). Instead, the Stout was relegated to escorting the civilian ferry hired to transport U.S. citizens from Libya to Malta.
With Commander Steele coming aboard later this week, tasking for the destroyer may quickly change. We're guessing the new skipper of the Stout won't get much time to turn his ship around, and get her ready for more assignments off Libya.
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ADDENDUM: Various Navy blogs report that Borchers assumed command of the Stout just three months ago. He apparently inherited a troubled ship, but was unable to fix the problems in his command. Under another skipper, the Stout failed a major inspection three years ago, leaving it "unfit for sustained combat operations." Since then, the DDG has passed 13 major evaluations but those recent incidents ashore (and the poor command climate) prompted the firing of Borchers, along with his command chief.
As a former USN sailor this strikes me as ludicrous. Drunk and disorderly sailors ashore were a normal part of Navy life during my time (71-75), not only on my ship, but on every ship I ever heard about.
ReplyDeleteOf course the fact that the CMC is a woman is probably the source of the problem. No command presence or ability to lead young men filled with testosterone.
ReplyDeleteBut drunkenness on shore leave. Wow, that is a surprise. Never heard of that.