August Navy Thread: Civilian effort edition

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SPACE HOMOS: Jan 12, 2005

Post the article for those who don't subscribe to toilet paper.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 01:27

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 12:19

Octopode: Sep 2, 2009; No. I work here. I manage operations for this and integration for this, while making sure that their stuff keeps working in here.

You asked for it.

quote:

The cruiser Cowpens was halfway through its Western Pacific cruise earlier this yearwhen the commanding officer got sick.

Capt. Greg Gombert came down with flu-like symptoms in January that confined him to his cabin for about a week.

As he was recovering, he contracted something more unusual: temporary facial paralysis. The non-life threatening disorder makes it difficult to move certain facial muscles and initially can feel like a minor stroke.

Gombert holed up in his cabin to recuperate and began to push responsibilities down to the next most senior officer, a department head with 11 years in uniform with whom the Navy alleges Gombert carried on an �unduly familiar relationship,� according to a report obtained by Navy Times.

Lt. Cmdr. Destiny Savage, the ship�s chief engineer and temporary XO, became the �acting CO,� officials now say, and essentially ran the ship � taking contact reports, leading junior officer qualification boards, and chairing department head meetings in the CO�s place.

Savage, a junior officer who was not fully qualified to be a permanent XO, even led at least two replenishments at sea, where the cruiser took on fuel from an oiler as little as 150 feet away in heavy seas, while the captain was in his cabin, according to the Navy�s investigation and interviews with current and former crew members.

What�s more, Gombert skipped navigation detail briefs and was routinely missing from the bridge during sea and anchor details, which are set when the ship is navigating close to shoal water. Gombert missed all or part of 21 special evolution details, the report found.

And it wasn�t just special evolutions he missed underway. Gombert only left the comforts of his in-port cabin for a few minutes a day for a period as long as two months, the report concluded.

Navy officials say they were in the dark about Gombert�s illness and seclusion, Savage temporarily filling the CO�s duties, and the unfilled XO billet, all of which turned the last three months of a WESTPAC into a veritable Twilight Zone, where a junior officer ran one of the fleet�s foremost surface combatants instead of a seasoned O-6.

And no one said a thing.

Gombert was fired in June, two months after the ship returned from its seven-month deployment, becoming the third Cowpens CO canned since 2010. Command Master Chief Gabriel Keeton also was removed. Officials at the time said the reliefs were due to a �loss of confidence� in their �ability to effectively lead.�

The startling new details, which come from a Naval Surface Force Pacific investigation and interviews with five current and former Cowpens crew members and spouses, raise questions about Gombert�s judgment and the fleet�s oversight of his command on the independent deployment.

The report concluded that Gombert exaggerated his medical conditions during the latter half of the ship�s deployment and ducked the supervisory jobs expected of a CO. Gombert was found guilty of five counts of disobeying lawful orders and one count of conduct unbecoming at a July 25 admiral�s mast.

The head of the surface Navy said the so-called command triad of CO, XO and CMC had suffered �a complete breakdown,� according to the July 11 report, which Navy Times obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.

�The violations revealed by the investigation, especially the blatant abdication of command responsibility on the part of the CO, are among the most egregious I have encountered in my 32-year career,� Vice Adm. Tom Copeman wrote in his letter closing the report.

Reached via phone, Gombert declined repeated requests for comment for this story. Savage and Keeton also declined to comment for this story, citing the ongoing legal process.

At the July 25 mast, Copeman found Savage guilty of two violations of failure to obey a lawful order and one of conduct unbecoming, and Keeton was disciplined for two counts of failing to obey a lawful order, SURFPAC said in a statement.

A SURFPAC spokesman refused to specify that disciplinary actions were taken against them, citing privacy concerns.

The report also uncovered evidence that Gombert and Savage had formed a questionable relationship between a senior and junior officer. They hung out in his in-port cabin in civvies. She made his bed and cooked his meals in his private galley. They stayed in hotel rooms together and, in at least one instance, were seen on liberty holding hands.

The report concluded this amounted to fraternization, but Copeman did not find them guilty of this offense at mast, and there is no evidence in the report that the relationship was otherwise physical.

Gombert�s supporters among the crew and spouses, who spoke with Navy Times on condition of anonymity citing fear of career repercussions, disagreed with the report�s findings. They said the captain was able to move around the ship during portions of the nearly three-month period when his health was up and down with flu-like symptoms.

They also contend Gombert, who had previously commanded the destroyer Gridley, was delegating to his officers and overseeing their performance via Savage�s reports and email.

Shipmates described Gombert, 46, as an intense leader who would often forget to eat when consumed by a task and who trusted his officers. But his trust and can-do approach went too far this time, one colleague said.

�He had a tendency to delegate,� said a surface warfare officer, who served with Gombert on the Cowpens, in an interview with Navy Times. �Sometimes he would delegate too much and for too long.�

The strain ultimately filtered down to the crew.

�My husband never comes home from deployment depressed,� said the wife of one Cowpens senior sailor who asked not to be identified, fearing career repercussions for her husband. �He�s usually upbeat and excited to talk about all the fun things he did on cruise and the port visits. But this time was different. He just came back, sat on the couch and had this sad look on his face. He said �I�m just glad we made it home.� �

'We weren't ready'
Officials quickly spotted the Cowpens� problems after it returned to San Diego in April. They discovered a string of troubling oversights that Copeman listed in a report to the head of Pacific Fleet: The flight deck was unsafe for flight operations, firefighting systems had fallen into disrepair and watch qualifications were being gundecked.

But the ship had problems before the cruise, the investigation found. When crew members took over Cowpens in 2013 following a hull swap with the cruiser Antietam in Japan, they found their new hull had been ridden hard.

When the Antietam�s CO, Capt. Robert Tortora, assumed command of Cowpens, he reported �significant deficiencies in the material condition of the ship,� according to the investigation.

The crew certified for deployment in 2012, but the certifications were earned on a modernized cruiser with the latest engineering upgrades and the latest version of Aegis combat system, said two sources close to the ship. The Cowpens, on the other hand, had an older version of Aegis that the crew coming over from Antietam was unfamiliar with, a former officer on Cowpens said in a phone interview.

The crew and wardroom also had seen a great deal of turnover since the hull swap, crew members said. But the certifications for deployment carried over to allow Cowpens to deploy.

Despite Cowpens� conditions and crew changes, fleet bosses fast-tracked the ship for a full deployment three months after its San Diego homecoming, a target it missed by almost two months while the ship was undergoing more than $7 million in repairs, according to the investigation.

�We�re weren�t ready for an operational deployment,� a former senior Cowpens crew member told Navy Times. �Get underway, pull into ports, show the flag � we could do that. But we weren�t ready to be operational.�

Despite extensive repairs prior to leaving Japan and after it pulled into San Diego, crew members told Navy Times that they had the impression the repairs were temporary fixes to merely survive the deployment and get back to the U.S. for a more extensive overhaul.

Gombert took charge of the crew in June 2013. The ship deployed on Sept. 18, 2013, for an independent, seven-month cruise.

Eventful deployment
The deployment began making headlines in December, when the Cowpens had a high-profile near miss with a Chinese amphibious ship, operating close to the new Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning during its sea trials.

Chinese state media claimed the Cowpens was shadowing the carrier during its trials. The Chinese amphib responded by running down the Cowpens and crossing its bow at less than 100 yards � a tense situation defused only when the carrier CO got on the bridge-to-bridge radio and spoke in English, Navy officials have said.

Not long after the dust-up, the Cowpens� XO left the ship. Cmdr. Jeremy Aujero, who had overseen the work-ups and hull swap, was allowed to leave in mid-December. Aujero had finished his tour, and Gombert said he was OK with the XO billet being open for about three weeks while the new XO was finishing a previous tour and screening for sea duty.

�Comfortable letting [XO] go � and equally comfortable subjecting the crew to a premature departure,� Gombert wrote to his boss, Rear Adm. Michael Smith, head of Carrier Strike Group 3, according to the investigation.

He also told Smith that Savage would be acting XO until the new XO arrived.

Savage, 33, had a reputation as a hard-charging junior officer who�d earned Gombert�s confidence. But the highly unusual situation left the deployed ship without a seasoned XO, the position that oversees the ship�s day-to-day operations and is typically regarded as an enforcer.

The first test of that arrangement came in January, when Gombert was hit hard by strep throat and subsequently spent most of his time in his cabin. Savage, already acting as XO in addition to CHENG, began to fill in for Gombert.

After signs that his health was recovering, Gombert took an unexpected turn for the worse when he came down with what sources say was Bell�s palsy, according to two crew members familiar with the CO�s illness.

The disorder causes a partial paralysis of the face that often makes it difficult to smile or make other facial expressions. The condition typically lasts two to three weeks with treatment and can be accompanied by flu-like symptoms.

In an email to Smith, subject line �Deployment Illness,� Gombert reported he was �sick for 2.75 months� and that he was �pretty much confined to the [unit commander�s cabin].�

But the investigation disputes the claim that Gombert was actually ill past the end of January, concluding that he had no diagnosed medical condition that would have required him to remain in seclusion in his in-port cabin � far from the bridge.

Gombert�s choice of quarters on deployment raised eyebrows. He stayed in the unit commander�s cabin, instead of the at-sea cabin in the superstructure, close to the bridge and the combat information center. The UCC is typically used as the captain�s in-port cabin or for a dignitary at sea.

An embarked flag officer on board to coordinate disaster relief operations in the Philippines thought it was strange that Gombert stayed in the in-port cabin, the report said.

Conspicuously absent
Gombert began delegating more of his responsibilities to Savage. She even took contact reports from the bridge.

It�s common for a CO to delegate when he�s under the weather, but Gombert�s extended absences from the ship�s daily life were unusual, the investigation said.

The investigation lays out a startling number of instances where Gombert was missing when the CO�s from event where the commanding officer�s presence is required or is universally understood in the surface Navy to be essential.

In at least two cases, Gombert was not present for alongside fuel replenishments, according to the investigation.

Savage was on the bridge, overseeing the conning officers and helmsman and navigation team while the ship took on fuel from an oiler about 150 feet away � a routine evolution, but one that can turn dangerous in seconds.

During one UNREP in heavy seas, the officer of the deck asked Savage why the CO wasn�t on the bridge, to which she said, �It�s all good, you�ve got this! He trusts you and knows you�ll do a good job,� the report said.

Savage lacked senior officer backup on the bridge, as is typically the case during special evolutions when the margin for error narrows. Instead, the captain was in his cabin, dialed into the ship�s internal communication net, a bridge watchstander recalled in a telephone interview with Navy Times.

Savage � an officer who was not screened for XO and had not gone through the arduous XO training pipeline � became the stand-in for functions that normally require the CO. Sources told Navy Times she was reporting back to Gombert, who was still active on email and the general announcing circuit.

During the second half of the deployment, Gombert was increasingly absent, the report found.

He didn�t attend qualification boards for officer of the deck or tactical action officer; he didn�t take routine updates from the officer of the deck or other key watch standers more than 50 percent of the time; and was either completely or mostly absent from 21 of the ship�s 48 so-called special evolutions, which include sea and anchor details and UNREPs, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the incoming XO was delayed for sea duty screening issues, leaving Savage as the acting XO until the ship returned home in April, the report said.

The absence of an experienced XO compounded the ship�s maintenance and operational challenges, and left Gombert without a backup who could have confronted him about his medical condition.

'We're good'
Compounding an abnormal cruise, scuttlebutt circulated that Gombert and Savage were sleeping together.

Neither Gombert nor Savage were charged with fraternization or adultery and, according to investigation documents, both denied having a sexual relationship. But a number of interactions between the crew and the two of them set off the rumor mill, which the investigation found was �prejudicial to good order and discipline.� The rumors started in December.

Savage and Gombert reportedly spent a three-day Christmas holiday in a hotel two hours� drive from Subic Bay, where the ship had pulled in.

On another occasion, the culinary specialist assigned to the wardroom knocked on the door to the CO�s cabin; Savage and Gombert were inside, and the CO answered the door in his boxers. Noticing the trash was full, the CS asked if he could take the trash out, to which Gombert reportedly said, �nope, we�re good,� and closed the door.

Members of the wardroom and the command master chief confronted the CO and Savage about the perceived inappropriate relationship, but that they did not stop meeting, the report said.

Both Gombert and Savage vehemently denied to fellow crew members that they were having sex, and Savage maintained that she was subject to unfair accusations because of her gender. One crew member who confronted Savage about the relationship said Savage responded that she and Gombert had a professional relationship and that �if she was a man, this would not be an issue.�

Ultimately Keeton was held responsible for failing to report the deteriorating command climate and inappropriate relationship between Savage and Gombert to higher authority.

Findings
The investigation found Gombert failed to report the lengthy absence of a qualified XO to his chain of command, but conceded that SURPAC and the staff of his carrier strike group could have done more to monitor the situation, according to the report.

Gombert put the safety of the crew at risk by failing to review navigation briefs and by his absence from the bridge during special navigation details, the report concluded.

These professional absences and lapses, Copeman said in his endorsement letter, �are beyond rare; they are unprecedented.�

It found that Gombert had sought and received adequate medical treatment from Navy medical staff, and that at no point was he unfit to command.

�There was a fundamental disconnect between the CO Cowpens� actual medical diagnosis and his representation of his condition to the crew � and others,� the report said.

Ultimately, the strange deployment of the Cowpens was the result of a string of bad decisions that started with Gombert, the report concluded.

�It is a tribute to the crew�s resilience and fortitude that the ship was able to accomplish its mission and return to homeport safety,� Copeman concluded in his letter.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 01:30

SPACE HOMOS: Jan 12, 2005

The cowpens has had quite a history just like every other CG. Its about time to shoot down another air liner.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 01:34

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

almighty posted:

While Goon seamen here discuss the foreign wimminz they might encounter in foreign ports, something very interesting has allegedly been going on board USS Cowpens.

Not gonna lie, I would hit that CHENG myself any day. She is pretty hot. What I can't figure out is why her parents would name her 'Destiny Noel Savage' in the first place? And how can someone with that name can go on to earn a commission in the Navy and become a Chief Engineer on a ship?

Let's discuss.

Also, what the hell was OPS doing through all this?

# ? Aug 6, 2014 01:51

vulturesrow: Sep 25, 2011; _{Always gotta pay it forward.}

Wtf is wrong with you people, post a picture of the CHENG already.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 02:04

nwin: Feb 25, 2002; make's u think

Edit: what vulturesrow said.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 02:07

US Berder Patrol: Jul 11, 2006; oorah

if you pay for a subscription to the navy times you are easily the most insufferable human being on the face of the earth
NEW CHANGES THE MCPON WANTS FOR YOUR PHYSICAL TRAINING UNIFORM
WHAT IT COULD MEAN FOR YOUR ADVANCEMENT
SAILORS WANT TO KNOW

# ? Aug 6, 2014 02:09

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

vulturesrow posted:

Wtf is wrong with you people, post a picture of the CHENG already.

I just did broseph.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 02:14

vulturesrow: Sep 25, 2011; _{Always gotta pay it forward.}

Stultus Maximus posted:

I just did broseph.

Oh I assumed that was the CO. I don't know a whole lot about surface goings on but it seems like 80% of hosed up ship stories I've heard involve the Cowpens.

e: just read some of the investigation :stare:

vulturesrow fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Aug 6, 2014

# ? Aug 6, 2014 02:18

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

When I googled her name, her facebook page was the first hit and that was the picture.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 02:40

Dingleberry: Aug 21, 2011

vulturesrow posted:

Wtf is wrong with you people, post a picture of the CHENG already.

http://research.archives.gov/description/6699519

Dingleberry fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Aug 6, 2014

# ? Aug 6, 2014 02:53

US Berder Patrol: Jul 11, 2006; oorah

she's a Boat 10, definitely

# ? Aug 6, 2014 03:07

krispykremessuck: Jul 22, 2005; unlike most veterans and SA members $10 is not a meaningful expenditure for me

I'm gonna have me a swag Bar-B-Q

that story rules, for a lot of reasons

# ? Aug 6, 2014 03:28

Analogical: May 20, 2013; EEOD? Why not, I could use a break from work

DownByTheWooter posted:

she's a Boat 10, definitely

# ? Aug 6, 2014 03:32

Nick Soapdish: Apr 27, 2008

Seriously, where was the OPSO, where was the CMC, where was some random JO chatting with a friend at CSG about the hosed up situation, where was anything?

# ? Aug 6, 2014 03:45

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Nick Soapdish posted:

Seriously, where was the OPSO, where was the CMC, where was some random JO chatting with a friend at CSG about the hosed up situation, where was anything?

CMC got NJPd along with the CO and CHENG for not reporting this.

I also want to know about OPS, but random SWO JOs are so beaten down that they tend to just go with the flow no matter how completely hosed up it is because to be honest we were never sure what was abnormal and what was usual surface fuckery.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 03:51

poopkitty: Oct 16, 2013; WE ARE ALL ONE

Nick Soapdish posted:

Seriously, where was the OPSO, where was the CMC, where was some random JO chatting with a friend at CSG about the hosed up situation, where was anything?

CMC got fired and went to Admiral's Mast, too. We've been friends for years and all of his FB buddies are all "Oh man, you got the shaft, homie, prayers!" Meanwhile we're all like "Welp, turns out you hosed up and are lucky you get to retire as a E-9. You had one job, Bro."

OMG that picture. HOW DID SOMEONE LET HER GET HER PICTURE TAKEN WITH HER HAIR hosed UP.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 03:51

Cerekk: Sep 24, 2004; Oh my god, JC!

I think the most hilarious part of the story is that somehow the ISIC managed to not know that the ship was missing an XO.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 03:53

Octopode: Sep 2, 2009; No. I work here. I manage operations for this and integration for this, while making sure that their stuff keeps working in here.

Word elsewhere is that she used to hand out business cards with self photos that were described as "provocative". Of course, this was coming from bitter old SWOs, so that probably just means her picture was from the waist up or some poo poo.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 03:54

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Octopode posted:

Word elsewhere is that she used to hand out business cards with self photos that were described as "provocative". Of course, this was coming from bitter old SWOs, so that probably just means her picture was from the waist up or some poo poo.

Given that she was playing house with the CO, it may have been more.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 03:58

Nick Soapdish: Apr 27, 2008

When I read the story I saw they when to mast for it, I was more just saying rhetorically the idea that those fuckers had been in long enough to be like, yeah, this is the time when we need to fire the flare and get help.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 04:06

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; c-spam cannot afford

Before I got into the meat of the story because of the paywall, all I could see was discussion about the captain being holed up for the better half of deployment. That happened on my last deployment as well, but for slightly different reasons. The whole time, though, ISIC was fully aware. Dude was just plain sick. He would still come to all nav details and meetings. He might be in PT gear and go back down after he was sure the XO/Ops had it, but he never missed anything. The XO was taking over command in a couple of months anyways, so it worked out fine. He actually chaired my OOD board because the skipper was ill. He didn't have any officers making his bed or cooking him meals, though.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 04:24

Boon: Jun 21, 2005; by R. Guyovich

There's some sensational reporting in there that makes me want to punch Mr. David Larter in the dick (and then get rung up on SAPR charges). But still, :stare:

# ? Aug 6, 2014 04:35

Syrian Lannister: Aug 25, 2007; Oh, did I kill him too?
I've been a very busy little man.; Sugartime Jones

Serious question

Isn't this the same cruiser that has rammed or struck other vessels, and also gone through three or four CO's; why not just scrap the thing?

# ? Aug 6, 2014 05:29

Laranzu: Jan 18, 2002

Ogrel72 posted:

Serious question

Isn't this the same cruiser that has rammed or struck other vessels, and also gone through three or four CO's; why not just scrap the thing?

Gone through COs at a pretty nice clip really. Send all nobles there.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 07:14

Seqenenra: Oct 11, 2005; Secret

Mr. Nice! posted:

Before I got into the meat of the story because of the paywall, all I could see was discussion about the captain being holed up for the better half of deployment. That happened on my last deployment as well, but for slightly different reasons. The whole time, though, ISIC was fully aware. Dude was just plain sick. He would still come to all nav details and meetings. He might be in PT gear and go back down after he was sure the XO/Ops had it, but he never missed anything. The XO was taking over command in a couple of months anyways, so it worked out fine. He actually chaired my OOD board because the skipper was ill. He didn't have any officers making his bed or cooking him meals, though.

Like you said, different reasons and all, but I just can't imagine a ship doing UNREPs with the CO in his rack and no XO on the bridge. That isn't a shot at the JOs on the ship since they managed to get it done without crashing or killing people, but if he is so incapacitated that he can't even make it to the bridge for that he should have told the ISIC. There is some other stuff that my coworkers saw when they went to the ship for an FTA that sounded at the time hard to believe, but now it makes sense.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 07:22

almighty: Mar 9, 2011

There's more.

quote:

157 (U) The Acting XO/CHENG kept some of her toiletries, specifically (redacted) in the UCC head medicine cabinet.
...
159 (U) The Acting XO/CHENG personally prepared meals for CO COWPENS in the UCC pantry at least 5-6 times a week.
...
162 (U) On multiple occasions, when leaving the ship in port, CO COWPENS and Acting XO/CHENG would depart the ship together, be gone for several days at a time, and return together.

"Pro-tip: Department Heads do not keep toiletries in the Commanding Officer's cabin."

# ? Aug 6, 2014 11:30

ManMythLegend: Aug 18, 2003; I don't believe in anything, I'm just here for the violence.

I was talking about thus with a couple of friends. I suspect that the department heads and the CMC didn't say anything because they legitimately enjoyed the increase in power and authority they were each and to grab with the captain basically abdicating his position.

I say this with some insight as during my last tour DH I had a very, very poor captain that would lock himself up in his cabin for days sometimes and I made some decisions above my paygrade. It was a lovely situation, but it felt awesome to no poo poo be the man in charge even for a brief moment.

Plus there is certainly an undercurrent of fear of punishment if it was reported to the ISIC, which I can sympathize with.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 11:32

ManMythLegend: Aug 18, 2003; I don't believe in anything, I'm just here for the violence.

Netanyahu posted:

Other than the Seals/jets, what other cool poo poo is the US Navy responsible for doing that the general public might not be aware of?

The US Navy is the official time keeper for the US Government, and most of the world by default. They maintain the Atomic Clock at the US Naval Observatory. This time is then fed to the GPS system, which is the time signal that thousands of other stems world wide use for their basic functioning.

Additionally the vast majority of data that NOAA uses and distributes to predict the weather and ocean environment, and further refine and develop their models, comes from regular messages that Navy ships at sea send with there observations.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 11:38

Octopode: Sep 2, 2009; No. I work here. I manage operations for this and integration for this, while making sure that their stuff keeps working in here.

In news not involving shenanigans, the Chief list is out:

http://projects.militarytimes.com/chief-advancements/index.php

# ? Aug 6, 2014 14:47

almighty: Mar 9, 2011

Ogrel72 posted:

Serious question

Isn't this the same cruiser that has rammed or struck other vessels, and also gone through three or four CO's; why not just scrap the thing?

This is the same ship the late Capt. Holly 'Witch' Graff used to command, who was fired for abusing his command authority among other things.

No, Cowpens did not ram another ship, she was assigned to tail the Chinese Carrier Liaoyang and her battlegroup on Liaoyang's trial cruise. One of Liaoyang's escorts maneuvered aggressively to ward Cowpens out, which resulted in a few close passes.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:04

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; c-spam cannot afford

almighty posted:

This is the same ship the late Capt. Holly 'Witch' Graff used to command, who was fired for abusing his command authority among other things.

No, Cowpens did not ram another ship, she was assigned to tail the Chinese Carrier Liaoyang and her battlegroup on Liaoyang's trial cruise. One of Liaoyang's escorts maneuvered aggressively to ward Cowpens out, which resulted in a few close passes.

Abusing her command authority. It finally boiled to a head when she threw a full coffee mug at the XO for being late to a briefing. His immediate response was to yell at everyone else to get out, and a few hours later she was relieved of command. She also ran the ship soft aground in her time in command.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:23

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Playing Mad Libs with the redacted portions of the investigation report is a lot of fun, especially the medical parts.

I also totally disagree with CDR Salamander. There is no way that an 11 year SWO could handle CHENG, XO, and CO duties on a deployment and come out looking good. It's just too much responsibility and work. There's also no way the CO could "honorably" take himself out of action due to medical issues when he could have had a qualified XO on board if he asked.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:30

Nick Soapdish: Apr 27, 2008

Stultus Maximus posted:

Playing Mad Libs with the redacted portions of the investigation report is a lot of fun, especially the medical parts.

I also totally disagree with CDR Salamander. There is no way that an 11 year SWO could handle CHENG, XO, and CO duties on a deployment and come out looking good. It's just too much responsibility and work. There's also no way the CO could "honorably" take himself out of action due to medical issues when he could have had a qualified XO on board if he asked.

That's the thing I didn't understand. We have some many post-tour O-5/O-6 types at staffs that even if you brought in an empty uniform with an oak leaf on it, I am sure CHENG would have come out looking golden.

Having just gotten to the Opinions portion of the report, the section before that 178-206 "Reports/Concerns of Fraternization Communicated to CoC" is a good read on how to say the right things and not go through with it. Fellow Chiefs and JOs telling the CMC something is up, him telling them the right thing, and then they drop it since, hey, CMCs got this. If this doesn't end up as a text book case study, I would be shocked.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:44

SPACE HOMOS: Jan 12, 2005

I thought there was a CG that ran aground near saipan about ten years ago.

Edit: Yeah a few post up.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 15:52

Boon: Jun 21, 2005; by R. Guyovich

SPACE HOMOS posted:

I thought there was a CG that ran aground near saipan about ten years ago.

Edit: Yeah a few post up.

My old ship, the Port Royal, ran aground outside the harbor right near the Honolulu airport. It had the prettiest blue bottom.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 16:59

Octopode: Sep 2, 2009; No. I work here. I manage operations for this and integration for this, while making sure that their stuff keeps working in here.

Boon posted:

My old ship, the Port Royal, ran aground outside the harbor right near the Honolulu airport. It had the prettiest blue bottom.

Sitting on SIPR reading the slowly worsening SITREP updates from Port Royal each day provided some solid entertainment for a few minutes of each watch during my deployment that year.

E: Navy Crimes has updated the original story. It looks like the CO and CHENG were, in fact, found guilty of fraternization as part of the Conduct Unbecoming charges at mast. So, there you go.

Octopode fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Aug 6, 2014

# ? Aug 6, 2014 17:47

Wokrider: Dec 4, 2012

Anyone know a HM SF?
I've got my HM contract and I head to boot in september, I'm trying to get more information on how getting into SF pipeline at HM A School works.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 18:26

SPACE HOMOS: Jan 12, 2005

Octopode posted:

E: Navy Crimes has updated the original story. It looks like the CO and CHENG were, in fact, found guilty of fraternization as part of the Conduct Unbecoming charges at mast. So, there you go.

CHENG must have been in a drought to want to sleep with a fat headed guy who had facial paralysis.

# ? Aug 6, 2014 18:35

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 12:19

TheQuietWilds: Sep 8, 2009

Wokrider posted:

Anyone know a HM SF?
I've got my HM contract and I head to boot in september, I'm trying to get more information on how getting into SF pipeline at HM A School works.

There are a few special warfare options for HMs. SF is Army, so you're looking at the wrong branch. Options for HM: Marine Force Recon - qualify for fleet marine force via Field Medical Service School or Field Medical Training Battalion (whatever they're calling it now) and then basically you do the entire Basic Recon course with the Marines and then go to a Recon unit. MARSOC - usually you have to qualify as recon first, but occasionally if you're just a pimp and know the right people you can get these billets as just an experienced FMF guy. Dive Medical Technician - work with ND, EOD and occasionally SEAL teams (in a non-operator capacity). If you want to be an operator in the Navy, you should sign up as a SEAL and then go to BUD/S. Generally speaking they will recruit for Dive Med/ Recon at Corps School, in the same way they recruit for ND/EOD/SEAL in the civilian world. A 'dive motivator' will come one week and administer a fitness test. If you score highly enough (generally speaking they're looking for 80+ situps/pushups, 12+ pullups, 9ish minute run, 10ish minute swim), then they'll put you in a special class where you do extra PT sessions with guys who have qualified previously and worked in those billets. They used to have you work out with the ND/EOD/SEAL candidates across the street when it was in Chicago, but now that HM A is in Texas, that's probably not a thing anymore. Long story short, there is no HM to SF crossover, there's just a few sub-jobs of HM some SF-ish capacities. If you want to be an operator, you need SEAL in your contract.

EDIT: I had orders to dive school, spent two months TAD with ND/SEAL/EOD units, and then got into the University of Pennsylvania and peaced out of the Navy instead. I know a good number of guys who went to BUD/S and BRC, so if you have any specific questions, I'll do my best to answer, but I haven't made it any farther than some guy in admin saying "sure, what the hell, print this guy some orders."

TheQuietWilds fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Aug 6, 2014

# ? Aug 6, 2014 18:36

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