U.S. Navy Relieves Commander and Lt. Commander of the USS PONCE

 

On Monday the U.S. Navy announced that two top officers from its Virginia based amphibious transport dock, USS Ponce, had been relieved of their duties.

The announcement came after an investigation into allegations of hazing and other inappropriate incident onboard the ship. Cmdr. Etta Jone, the ship’s commanding officer was relieved on Saturday "due to demonstrated poor leadership, and failure to appropriately investigate, report, and hold accountable Sailors found involved in hazing incidents," according to a statement released by the Navy. In addition the Navy reports that she failed to properly handle a loaded weapon during a security alert, endangering some of her crew.

Also relieved over the weekend was the ships executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Kurt Boenisch. The Navy says he was relieved of his duties due to his failure to provide proper support to the command and commanding officer.

The USS Ponce is currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn. Capt. Brad Skillman, Deputy Commander of Amphibious Squadron 4, is currently commanding the ship. The USS Ponce is scheduled to return to Norfolk in two month to be decommissioned.

According to navytimes.com, this is the eighth commanding officer to be relieved of their duties this year.