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The commanding officer of the USS Bainbridge has been relieved of his duties following a command investigation into fireworks and illegal gambling on board the ship, the U.S. Navy announced Friday.
Two other officers were temporarily reassigned.
In a news release, a spokesperson for Naval Surface Force Atlantic said Cmdr. Sean Rongers was relieved of his duties for allowing gambling on the ship and storing commercial fireworks on board against Navy policy. The Navy also cited poor program management and a poor command climate as reasons for his removal.
The ship's former executive officer, Cmdr. Brandon Murry, and Command Master Chief Richard Holmes were temporarily reassigned as well. Investigators determined they knew about the purchase and storage of fireworks.
Rongers has commanded the Bainbridge since November 2014. Murray served as the ship's executive officer from October 2014 to March 2016 and Holmes has served as the ship's command master chief since November 2014.
All three were reassigned to the Commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic Fleet, the Navy said.
It's unusual for officials to remove the three top leaders from a ship, according to the Navy Times.
“The last command triad to be relieved in full was in fall 2014, when an investigation into a young deck seaman's suicide found widespread problems that prompted the Navy to fire the destroyer James E. Williams' CO (commanding officer), former XO (executive officer) and PCO (prospective commanding officer) and the CMC (command master chief),” the newspaper reported.
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