In a rather unusual move, I have heard that Captain Hospodar's decision to fire LCDR Matt Tucker has been reversed by the BCNR.
I am waiting additional facts/information.
Original NAVY TIMES story is below.
Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Wednesday Mar 4, 2009
The commanding officer of the mine countermeasures ship Devastator was relieved of command Tuesday for not “maintaining ship readiness standards,” the Navy announced.
Lt. Cmdr. Matt Tucker, who commanded the crew Persistent, was relieved by the commander of Mine Countermeasures Squadron 2, Capt. Robert Hospodar, just over three weeks after Naval Station Ingleside, Texas-based Devastator underwent a scheduled examination by the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV).
The chief staff officer for the squadron, Cmdr. Angel Cruz, took command of the Devastator and will stay as CO until Friday. Then he is to yield command of the ship to Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Shear, the current executive officer of the mine countermeasures ship Chief, a sibling of the Devastator.
A spokesman for Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command did not have information about where Tucker had been assigned after his relief.
Tucker took command of the Devastator’s crew Persistent Nov. 25, after having served as executive officer of the mine countermeasure ship Scout in Bahrain.
Hope this is true.
ReplyDeleteMatt Tucker,
ReplyDeleteCall your office. The Navy wants to give you your reputation back.
Tucker himself confirms it at SailorBob. Comments following indicate his SWO community thinks he's been a class act throughout this drill.
ReplyDeleteVery rare for the BCNR to be other than a rubber stamp for the Nav.
ReplyDeleteMust have a VERY bad case to start with or the BCNR is finally showing they have some cajones.
He was in command for 4 months prior to the INSURV. Command of a ship that was routinely turned over as a forward deployed unit with rotating crews. It takes longer than 4 months (and a budget) to get ready for an INSURV.
ReplyDeleteTucker’s case is the first successful appeal in at least 30 years, said LT Garas (a Pentagon spokesman), noting that according to the board’s executive director, “this is the first time that the BCNR has granted the removal of a DFC.”
ReplyDeleteI am amazed (but still shocked) that this has happened. If the Navy has actually decided they were wrong, then maybe Tucker deserves another shot at command. Probably on a different coast on a different platform- far from his former TYCOM peers. I wish him well.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad there is someone who verifies that equipment works but INSURV is the devil. CWO4 is right...sometimes you need miracles to pass these inspections. I guess big Navy expects us to pull these miracles out of our back pocket at will.