Relieved of Command



Cmdr. Etta Jones
(Naples, Italy) Last Saturday's change of command on the USS Ponce (LPD-15) was arguably unwelcome.

Cmdr. Etta Jones, the commanding officer of the Austin-class amphibious transport dock, was relieved “due to her demonstrated poor leadership and failure to appropriately investigate, report and hold accountable sailors involved in hazing incidents,” said Lt. Nathan Potter, a spokesman for the Navy’s 6th Fleet.

“Additionally, she failed to properly handle a loaded weapon during a security alert, which endangered some of her crew.”

Her executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Kurt Boenisch, also was relieved for failure to effectively support the command and ship’s commanding officer, Potter said.

Both were relieved by Vice Adm. Harry Harris, commander of 6th Fleet.

Specific details regarding circumstances leading to the dismissals haven't been reported.

Note that it's fairly common for U.S. Navy commanding officers to be unwillingly relieved of command. Up to a dozen or more instances yearly are not unusual. Cmdr. Jones is just one example.