SAN DIEGO (AP) — The commander and top officers of a San Diego-based Navy frigate have been relieved of duty after a rowdy, booze-fueled port visit to Vladivostok, Russia.
Cmdr. Joseph E. Darlak, skipper of the USS Vandegrift,
was removed Friday by Capt. John L. Schultz after an investigation "due
to loss of confidence after demonstrating poor leadership and failure
to ensure the proper conduct of his wardroom officers" during the
three-day September stop, the Navy said in a statement.
Executive officer Lt. Cmdr. Ivan A. Jimenez
and the ship's chief engineer and operations officer were also relieved
"for personal conduct involving use of alcohol and not adhering to
established liberty policies," the statement said.
The names of
the two lower-ranked officers were not released because their positions
are not considered public under Navy policy, and Navy officials did not
give specifics on the misbehavior of any of the officers.In a post on the official Facebook page of the Navy's 7th Fleet, the commander celebrated the visit as it began on Sept. 20.
"We
are pleased to have the opportunity to visit Vladivostok and experience
all the city has to offer," Darlak said in the post. "Our sailors are
especially looking forward to making new friends."
The officers were relieved during a port visit in Guam, and they'll be temporarily reassigned in San Diego pending more possible administrative actions, the Navy Times reported.
Darlak's
ouster comes just over three months after he assumed command of the
Vandegrift. He previously served as executive officer of the destroyer
Stethem.
Capt. H. Thomas Workman,
a deputy commander from the ship's squadron, has taken over the
Vandegrift until it returns to San Diego at the end of its seven-month
deployment later this month, the statement said, and the Navy emphasizes
that the ship remains fully ready for any mission.
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