The Navy has relieved the captain of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk because he could not "carry out essential missions and taskings." Navy relieves captain
of carrier Kitty HawkBy Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.comYesterday, Vice Adm. Robert Willard, commander of the 7th Fleet, relieved Capt. Thomas Hejl, who assumed command of the Navy's 41-year-old aircraft carrier in August 2001.
The Kitty Hawk, which is not nuclear-powered, is forward deployed and permanently stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.
Willard's action was a result of "the continued degradation of the ship's material condition and personnel readiness," a 7th Fleet spokesman said.
A Navy spokesman cited several problems with Hejl's command, including the carrier hitting a buoy while entering a port in Singapore earlier this year. Hejl was on the bridge directing the ship. That collision caused damage to the main shaft and propeller.
In another incident, the Kitty Hawk failed a "light off" assessment last week. That test is an inspection of the ship's main propulsion plant and one that must be passed before the ship is allowed to leave port.
The Navy said watch standers were not following standard operating procedures, which led to some of the equipment failures on the ship. Responsibility for maintaining crew readiness lies with the captain.
There also were problems with the way Hejl enforced Willard's new liberty restrictions for junior enlisted sailors, requiring them to be back at their ships, their barracks or personal residences by midnight.
The restrictions came after a series of violent incidents involving sailors and Marines, including the jailing of a 23-year-old Kitty Hawk crew member on Aug. 11 after he allegedly broke into the home of a Japanese national and beat him.