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| Skipper of USS MEMPHIS, Charles Maher at the scope |
CO of USS MEMPHIS SSN-691 fired
Commander, Submarine Development Squadron TWELVE (Captain William Merz) has fired the commanding officer of the attack submarine USS Memphis as 10 members of his crew are under investigation in an alleged cheating ring involving shipboard training exams. Commander Charles H. Maher was relieved Thursday, 18 November 2010, for “loss of confidence in his ability to command.”Commander Maher assumed command of USS MEMPHIS on 8 January 2010.
The release noted there was no evidence Maher was involved in the cheating ring, but stated his command had “fostered an environment which failed to uphold the high standards of integrity of the submarine force.”
Captain Carl Lahti, previously deputy commander of the SUBDEVRON 12, has assumed command of USS MEMPHIS.
His bio has been removed from the Commander, Submarine Group TWO website.
A native of Bainbridge Island, Washington, Commander Maher attended the University of Notre Dame with a NROTC scholarship and graduated with honors in 1990 with Bachelor degrees in Physics and History. Following graduation, he was selected as a Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic Language at the American University of Cairo. He was commissioned in 1991 and completed training in nuclear propulsion and basic submarine tactics and navigation.
Commander Maher has served on board three fast-attack submarines. His first sea tour was as a Division Officer aboard USS BERGALL (SSN 667) (1993-96) where deployed to the Mediterranean, participated in Operation Sharp Guard and decommissioned the ship. He served as Chief Engineer aboard USS MEMPHIS (SSN 691) (2002-04), where he oversaw an extended CNO maintenance availability and deployed to the Persian Gulf. As Executive Officer, he served aboard USS TUCSON (SSN 770) (2005-07) and deployed to the Western Pacific. During this tour, the crew of TUCSON won the 2006 Submarine Squadron 7 Battle Efficiency award and the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award, distinguishing TUCSON as the top submarine in the Pacific Fleet.
Ashore, Commander Maher served as the Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Submarine Group 8 in Naples, Italy (1996-98), as the Commanding Officer of Military Sealift Command Office, Panama (1998-99), as a Junior Board Member of the Atlantic Fleet Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board (2004) and as the Deputy Commander for Readiness at Submarine Squadron 19 (2009). He attended the Naval War College (2007-08), where he participated in the Halsey Alfa Advanced Studies Program and graduated with a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies.
From 1999 to 2001, Commander Maher served the Navy’s Selected Reserves. During this time, he held a position with the Perot Systems information technology firm and was the Commanding Officer of the Naval Reserve unit supporting NAVCOMTELSTA, Cutler, Maine.
Commander Maher’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (five awards) and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards).
6 comments:
He is a person of the highest caliber integrity and served his country and fufilled all of his duties with unwavering responsibility of duty.
I served with him on the Atlantic Fleet Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board in 2004 and he was a pompous jerk. He was a poor examiner who never really understood what was important, spent most of his time trying to prove the ship he was examining was not as good as he had been, and quite frankly I was disappointed to see him screen for XO and Command. This saddens me does not surprise me.
Washington Post
November 17, 2011
Pg. 4
Connecticut
Navy Probes Alleged Cheating On Sub Force
The Navy's inspector general for the Atlantic submarine force is investigating claims that pervasive cheating has tainted exams administered to enlisted sailors and officers as part of their nuclear training.
After the cheating ring was discovered aboard the Groton, Conn.-based USS Memphis last November, the Navy fired the commanding officer and kicked off 10 percent of the crew.
-- Associated Press
Washington Post
November 17, 2011
Pg. 4
Connecticut
Navy Probes Alleged Cheating On Sub Force
The Navy's inspector general for the Atlantic submarine force is investigating claims that pervasive cheating has tainted exams administered to enlisted sailors and officers as part of their nuclear training.
After the cheating ring was discovered aboard the Groton, Conn.-based USS Memphis last November, the Navy fired the commanding officer and kicked off 10 percent of the crew.
-- Associated Press
I taught Charlie Maher when he was part of the Jerusalem Foreign Studies Program at Notre Dame. I know him to be a thoughtful man of integrity, deeply devoted to the Navy. This news saddens me immensely and I can only pray that this crisis will strengthen him in ways we cannot now know.
Sister Mary Aquin O'Neill, RSM, Ph.D.
Posting late, just came across this. I served with Charles on USS Bergall when he was just starting his Navy career. In my opinion, he was a very capable officer and conducted himself with integrity. The Navy always makes the captain pay for the actions of the crew, but in this case, I doubt that he had any knowledge of the cheating. Sorry to see this happen to a decent guy.
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