The Virginian-Pilot
©
WASHINGTON
The Navy's Pacific commander fired the top two officers on the aircraft carrier George Washington on Wednesday after investigators concluded that a $70 million fire that damaged the ship in May probably was triggered by crew members sneaking a smoke.
Capt. David C. Dykhoff, skipper of the carrier, was relieved "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards," the service said. His executive officer, Capt. David M. Dober, was sacked "for substandard performance."
Both actions were ordered by Adm. Robert Willard, commander of the Pacific Fleet. A Navy spokesman said each man will get an as-yet-unannounced assignment ashore. The disciplinary action almost certainly ends their careers, however.
Sailors who may have been directly involved in starting the fire could be subject to administrative action later, said Lt. Cmdr. Charles Brown, a spokesman for the commander of the Navy's air forces.
The fire occurred May 22 as the George Washington was headed from its former home in Norfolk to Yokosuka, Japan, where it will replace the carrier Kitty Hawk, which is being retired.
While the full report of the Judge Adjutant General investigation was not released, the Navy said it concluded that the fire likely was caused by "unauthorized smoking that ignited flammable liquids and other combustible material improperly stored in an adjacent space."
The fire and its intensity "were the result of a series of human acts that could have been prevented," the Navy summary added. It cited "the storage of 90 gallons of refrigerant compressor oil in an unauthorized space" as a factor in the fire's severity.
The summary said the fire began in a boiler exhaust and supply area and spread quickly because of a "chimney effect" in nearby spaces and duct work. The 12-hour battle to extinguish the fire injured 37 sailors, one of whom received first- and second-degree burns.
The fire was the worst of 13 reported aboard Navy ships this year.
The George Washington has been undergoing repairs near San Diego since shortly after the blaze. It is to depart on Aug. 21 and arrive in Yokosuka sometime in September.
About 2,800 sailors have had to live on board the ship since it entered the shipyard in late May. They don't have cars or off-ship housing because most of their families and household goods are headed to or already in Japan.
Helping with the repairs has helped maintain morale, said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Urban, a ship spokesman. Many sailors also have taken short vacations to visit family or sight-see; others have been bused to San Diego parks, concerts, Padres baseball games and comedy clubs, he said.
The fire forced the Navy to slightly delay the Kitty Hawk's retirement and instead send that ship to participate in an annual Rim of the Pacific Exercise in the George Washington's place. Urban said some George Washington sailors joined the Kitty Hawk's crew for the exercise.
Wednesday's actions marked the sixth time this year the Navy has relieved one of its commanding officers and the fourth time the discipline involved command at sea. Earlier this week, the skipper of the Pearl Harbor, an amphibious transport, was fired after the ship ran aground in the Persian Gulf.
Dykhoff, a West Virginia native, had been in command of the George Washington since December 2006. He is a former F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet pilot and squadron commander and a former executive officer of the carrier Nimitz.
Dober, a native New Yorker, also is a former F/A-18 pilot and squadron commander. He had been executive officer of the George Washington since March 2007.
To replace Dykhoff and Dober, the Navy tapped Capt. J.R. Haley to be the George Washington's skipper and Capt. Karl O. Thomas to serve as executive officer.
Both men have ties to Hampton Roads from their service on carriers based in Norfolk. Haley commanded the Theodore Roosevelt from 2005 until last January. Thomas had been serving as executive officer of the Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Staff writer Kathy Adams contributed to this report.
Dale Eisman, (703) 913-9872, dale.eisman@pilotonline.com
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Dont Blame the Navy
The Navy cant fix all your children of the what I call Generation X-box. Too Lazy to have worked a real job before the Navy, so they cant appreciate how good they have it in the Navy. I agree that, It is the Navy fault for advancing so many knuckleheads, The evaluation system is so far out of whack, you can be a total dirtbag, but if you can run a good PRT you will be an E-6 in four years, what kind of leadership skills can you develop in 4 years after high school....
David C.'s comment led to Mary M.'s
I was out of commission all day yesterday having chemotherapy.
My response about "don't ask, don't tell" was due to an earlier, off-the-cuff comment, mixing "don't ask, don't tell" and the GW fire.
I interpret all of this in a more orthodox way. The CO and XO know that they played the game and they became a casualty. You have to trust 5000 men and women before you get in your rack at night and . . . unfortunately, some one or two folks weren't trustworthy. It happens, and it does not take away from the otherwise glorious careers of these two men, nor does it take away their pension. Somewhere there are a few smokers on that ship who will always wonder if it was their cigarette! I hope their conscience plagues them. Cheers, MGM
co and xo of GW
this is coming from a spouse who has a husband DIRECTLY involved in the fire on board the GW. I have had the honor of meeting both of these men who have given their "everything" for the US NAVY. To hear people say and post negative statements about them is completely uncalled for and disgusting in my point of view. These are two men that have given there all for their command and for the US Navy! I respect all that they did during this crisis and I think what has been done to them is unquestionable. I understand the whole chain of command thing.. I grew up in the navy and my husband is a dedicated naval officer. For anyone to say anything negative about these two men is uncalled for and I think "you" need to re-think your "standards". I and my husband will follow these two men to where ever they may go and I know that my husband is HONORED to have been able to serve under their command and I am honored to have been able to stand by their side for the brief time that I did! I am proud that my husband has been able to serve under their command!!!!!
Let's be honest
A wide range of discussion is here but I'll comment on two issues. If a ship runs aground while the CO is in his at-sea cabin sleeping, he is responsible. There is no difference here. Like others have said, more info will follow and a better picture will be painted. Also, I can't see how Sailors (current or former) are so quick to bash others who are getting the job done. Let us face it, things have changed! Drawdowns, "Smart ships", and the war in Iraq have to be supported. Commands are operating with reduced numbers due to Individual Augmentees (aka I.A.s) but the job typically gets done safely. Couple that with a homeport shift and it is actually amazing that no Sailors were killed in this fire. With less people aboard than ever before they (the same Sailors being called everything but patriots) saved the ship from one of the most difficult types of fires to combat. I've been in over 26 years and know the 10% rule has always applied. The majority of Sailors out there are doing it right with less tax dollars and a rapidly changing world. Those who feel differently should visit a ship and see for themselves. If you are lucky enough to be on a ship and disagree, Shipmat
Responsibility, Accountability, Leadership
Reading all the varied comments, ideas, justifications, etc. in these posts, I ask only one question........who, in the chain of command (if indeed it exists) has the overall responsibility and is accountable for the performance, readiness, and safety of the ship and crew?
It has always been, and hopefully always will be, the C A P T A I N. The ship and crew display his demeanor, attitude, professionalism, and share in his successes and failures.
But why listen to me, I'm just an old retired Master Chief Petty Officer who sees tradition eroding in the Navy every day. Instead of a salute and an "aye aye Sir" and a "Carry on", I see a "but......but.....Sir, I can explain, I have an excuse, I have a reason". My wife she, my dog it, my car it, my part time job it, my other life it,. Come on Chiefs, get back to running the Navy, knowing what your jobs are, what is right and standing up for it, even if it means you must fight for what you believe is right for your ship and your men everyday. You don't have to be popular to earn a paycheck. If your CO is any kind of a professional, he will do his job and let you do yours. Just make sure you know what is right.
And one more thi
Why are we....
trying this in the public. It's a US Navy matter being delt with by the US Navy.
It's obvious that there are people that are commenting here that know what they are talking about (either from having known the two Captains themselves or from having served in the military) and those just babbling on without anything constructive to say or add.
Having suffered through a "media driven public witch hunt" earlier this year in my non-military public safety job-I have to say that I feel for these two fine military officers. They had what it took to get to where they were (meaning CO/XO of the carrier). It's a sad ending to thier careers, but life will go on. I salute them both and thank them for their service to this country.
Quality of sailors ?
People constantly complain about the poor quality of recruits in the service, including poor quality of officer leadership, however, the system, if used correctly, is designed to maximize efficiency by using a well trained chain of command - The X.O.'s task and the C.O.'s responsibility. I.E. enlisted leadership, from junior P.O.'s to Chief's should have noticed or realized something was wrong with the storage problem. Division Officers and responsible Department Heads should have been aware of what was in their spaces. Internal daily walk-thru's by all levels of leadership could/would/should have detected a potential problem. Had the X.O. been aware of what was going on by making his daily inspections/zone inspections, he should have seen/noticed problems before they became serious and mandated corrections. Lastly, the C.O., being ultimately responsible should have, at some time during the time the ship left port and the time of the fire, noticed irregularities in stowage problems. So, since no-one aboard seen a problem brewing, yes the C.O. and X.O. need to be held responsible. Yes, to be sure, others will be named at fault, especially those in the chain of command for th
Sailors
Veteran for 22years. The problem began when we remove thre word "TRADITION" from our core value. The Admirals and our useless MCPON felt that being politcally correct and the new core values "Honor, Courage and Commitment" (what does that really mean?), and ability to resite the "Sailor's Creed" would bring loyalty and a better sailor. You reap what you sew! We as a military in a whole are letting more felons in, we have lowed the ASVAB scores to get in, and we give out huge bonuses to bring non-graduates into the service, not to mention the sorry Perform to Serve crap the gets rid of good sailors. Give some of that signing bonus to those that already serve loyal and honorably that money.
Get back to the TRADITIONS of the military and stop worrying about hurting this new generation of soldiers/sailors feelings.
Crimininal Sabotage vs Simple Negligence or Command Oversight
It is within the privileges of Commander to the Pacific Fleet, to determine who commands his ships, but before we ruin the reputations of two fine officers:
I feel that a formal Naval Board of Inquiry be performed, due to the gravity of the damages, and monetary costs for repairs, and possible loss of confidence of Japanese civilian authorities to presume a "nuclear powered" ship is safe to be permanently stationed in Japan
Several writers have discussed, there could have been sufficient motivation to set up hazardous conditions and start a fire, for personal privilege. In a previous incident a USN cruiser was severely damaged by a wrench left in the main reduction gear due to a sailor who didn't want to leave.
It is strange that a large number of flammable containers were stored near a heat/flammable source, that weekly zone inspections failed to find, note or correct the defect, and that simple smoking started such a severe fire.
I await the preliminary investigation, and think that each Captain should formally request a formal mast and investigation.
VSS
if you were the ceo
If you were the CEO of a company and loss $70 million, you head would probably roll also.