Posted on 01/09/2009 11:48:26 PM PST by GATOR NAVY
TOKYO — A ship commander and executive officer at Sasebo Naval Base were relieved of command due to a loss of confidence, the Navy announced Friday.
Cmdr. John Zuhowski was relieved Thursday of command of the USS Tortuga, an amphibious assault ship, by Rear Adm. Richard Landolt, of Commander Task Force 76, according to a news release. Lt. Cmdr. Dennis Burke, the ship’s executive officer, was also relieved, the statement said.
Both Zuhowski and Burke remain on active duty and face no loss of rank or punishment, according to Lt. Denver Applehans, spokesman for the task force. Applehans said he could not release any details about the change in command because of “privacy issues.”
Capt. Mark Weber, the deputy commodore of Amphibious Squadron Eleven at Sasebo, temporarily has assumed command of Tortuga. Weber is a former commanding officer of USS Fort McHenry, another amphibious landing ship.
Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Grant, of the Commander Task Force 76 staff, has temporarily assumed the duties of executive officer, according to the release.
Stick a fork in both of them.
Zuhowski, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1991, has had various sea duty assignments prior to taking command of Tortuga, including aboard USS Austin (LPD 4), USS Belleau Wood (LHA 3), at the time home-ported in Sasebo, and USS Oak Hill (LSD 51). He served as the Commanding Officer of USS Shamal (PC 13) and as Executive Officer USS Ashland (LSD 48).
http://www.c7f.navy.mil/news/2008/05/01.htm
Did they run the ship aground?
Hack off the local hooker industry with too many off-limits areas?
Yeah. I hope they like their current rank, they are going to have it for a long time.
Anyone have any idea when the Navy started using the commodore rank again?
Actually it’s “Commander”. My brother in-law just became one. Commanders are in charge of the smaller ships.
And oddly enough, he’s scheduled to take command of a ship in Tokyo, though not the ones mentioned here..
No, if they had run agound they would have said so. “Loss of confidence” in both the CO and XO most likely means some kind of command climate issue.
Whoops, I mis-read that part about commodore.
Forwarding a copy of this item to my brother-in-law for an answer on exactly what they are/do...
“Commodore” is a title for a squadron commander, not a rank. Same as the CO of a ship is “captain” regardless of his actual rank. That said, I’ve never heard of anyone referred to as a “deputy commodore”.
I suspect you are quite right.
But what would they have said had it been a morality or some such issue?
Any pics available of these guys?
Any bets as to whether they were hyper harsh or wusses?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2158161/posts
That’s the second skipper relieved for lack-of-confidence in as many weeks. Coincidence, or is something going down?
Commodore is a rank between captain and rear Admiral. Typically the rank has only been filled in times of great wars. The rank was left open after WW II. When it was filled again I don’t know.
Hmmmm Interesting question.
Hope it’s no political INcorrectness purge. Doesn’t feel like it or sound like it.
However, we live in strange times.
Maybe the Dems are looking for folks to fill Congressional seats?
Either that or they caught someone else "not asking or telling" and made an un PC remark about them.
That's what we were taught in Basic. The rank is as you say, seldom used, and only in war. I wonder if this was an O.R.E. INSURV or P.E.B. type issue? {I don't know what they call those type of inspections these days} Failing any of them is not career enhancing events.
They were using it again during the Reagan administration, but now it’s a title of office, as used in this story, not a rank, per se. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_Admiral
The Commodore is simply the senior Captain who's in charge of a Amphibious Ready Group. In this case Comphibron 11 out of Sasebo, Japan.
As to when they brought the rank back?
They haven't it's simply a title.
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