US Navy fires commander after decommissioning incident off West Africa coast – Military Africa

GULF OF GUINEA (March 20, 2024) The Lewis B. Puller-class Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) transits the Gulf of Guinea. Hershel “Woody” Williams is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. Naval Forces Africa area of ​​operations and is deployed with U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ethan Jaymes Morrow)

The U.S. Navy announced earlier last week that it had relieved Captain Lenard C. Mitchell of his command following the grounding of the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4) near the coast of Libreville, Gabon.

This decision was made after an initial review of the incidents in May raised sufficient concerns to justify such action.

The Hershel “Woody” Williams, a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base, experienced what the Navy described as a “soft grounding” on May 9, 2024.

“Woody” was in Ghana for maritime exercise Obangame 2024, which involved 13 nations from West Africa, Europe, and North America. The Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) arrived in Tema, Ghana, on April 19, 2024, for a scheduled port visit. The ship previously completed a port visit to Tema in March and departed port on March 19 alongside two ships of the Ghana Navy for exercise Sea Lion 24. Following the conclusion of exercise Sea Lion, the ship continued its normal cycle of training and exercises with other partner nations, including Nigeria and Italy.

The ship was stuck for about four hours on May 9 before being refloated at high tide. Fortunately, no injuries or serious damage were reported in the incident. Woody is named after the legendary Marine and Medal of Honor recipient who used a flamethrower against Japanese fortifications on Iwo Jima.

Captain Mitchell, who has been at the helm of the ship’s Gold Crew since November 2022, has been reassigned to Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic pending the results of a comprehensive investigation.

The Navy has not released specific details that led to the grounding because the investigation is ongoing, but the actions taken reflect the Navy’s strict accountability policy, in which commanders bear ultimate responsibility for their ships and crew.

“The U.S. Navy holds its commanders to the highest standards and takes action to hold them accountable when those standards are not met. Navy leaders bear significant responsibilities to their Sailors and their ships,” the Navy wrote in its press release.

Vice Admiral Thomas E. Ishee, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, decided to remove Mitchell, a rare case in which the Navy has explicitly linked such a decision to an ongoing investigation.

The military typically uses the term “loss of confidence” as a general justification for dismissing officers, covering a range of potential problems of both a professional and personal nature.

This incident is part of a larger pattern of rapid Navy action against commanders following accidents.

In 2024 alone, the Navy has already replaced at least 13 commanders, a pace that could surpass last year’s total of 16.

Captain Mitchell, a commanding officer with more than 30 years of service, will be temporarily assigned as commander of Naval Surface Forces Atlantic, while Captain Michael Concannon will assume duties as interim commanding officer aboard Hershel “Woody” Williams, the Navy said.

Hershel “Woody” Williams continues his mission with the US Naval Forces Africa without interruption.