Navy Fires Warship’s Top Two Officers, Reportedly Over Handling of Sexual Harassment Inquiry

Politics|Navy Fires Warship’s Top Two Officers, Reportedly Over Handling of Sexual Harassment Inquiry

WASHINGTON — The Navy has fired the commandant and the 2nd successful complaint of the littoral combat vessel Montgomery due to the fact that of “a nonaccomplishment of assurance successful their quality to command,” the work said connected Thursday.

Cmdr. Richard J. Zamberlan, the ship’s skipper, and Cmdr. Phillip Lundberg, the vessel’s enforcement officer, were relieved by Capt. Marc Crawford, the commandant of the Navy’s Surface Division 11, the Navy said successful a statement.

The Navy did not elaborate connected the circumstances of the firings, but 2 Navy officials said the officers’ removal had resulted from their handling of a intersexual harassment investigation. The 2 officials spoke connected the information of anonymity due to the fact that of the continuing inquiry.

It is antithetic for the Navy to relieve a ship’s commander, overmuch little its 2 apical officers, for immoderate reason. In April, the Navy removed Cmdr. Kathryn J. Dawley arsenic the skipper of the Hawaii-based guided-missile destroyer Hopper for what officials said was a mediocre bid clime and atrocious unit morale.

In the lawsuit of the San Diego-based Montgomery, Commanders Zamberlan and Lundberg volition beryllium reassigned to table jobs astatine the office of the Pacific Fleet’s Naval Surface Force. Cmdr. Dustin Lonero, from the littoral combat vessel Coronado, was assigned arsenic the Montgomery’s skipper until a imperishable replacement is named.

The Navy has dealt with different bid issues related to intersexual harassment successful caller months. In April, the admiral successful complaint of naval aviation attraction depots, Rear Adm. Trent DeMoss, was removed from bid pending a Navy inspector wide enquiry into intersexual harassment complaints. That firing was reported earlier by USNI News.

Littoral combat ships similar the Montgomery are a comparatively caller people of Navy warship. They entered the fleet successful the past 2 years to run successful littoral areas, oregon waters adjacent to shore, wherever larger vessels whitethorn person trouble maneuvering.

Small and agile with crews of astir 80 sailors, Independence-class littoral warships similar the Montgomery person a futuristic-looking, all-aluminum trimaran design. The Montgomery has successful caller years patrolled contested waterways similar the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea successful what Navy officials accidental is simply a awesome to allies and adversaries that the United States is committed to protecting escaped and unfastened planetary waters.

The littoral combat ships person experienced increasing pains, with motor problems and different flaws that Navy officials present accidental they person ironed out.