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Monday, November 10, 2003
Two relieved of command following sub's grounding off Sardinia
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, November 10, 2003
Two naval officers have been relieved of their commands after an investigation into the brief grounding of the USS Hartford submarine last month.
Capt. Greg Parker, commander of Submarine Squadron 22, and Cmdr. Christopher R. Van Metre, commanding officer of the Hartford, were relieved Saturday in La Maddalena, Sardinia, according to a 6th Fleet news release.
The release said the action was taken by Rear Adm. P. Stephen Stanley, commander of Submarine Group Eight, after he lost confidence in their ability to command as a result of the investigation into the Oct. 25 incident in which the sub scraped bottom in the port of La Maddelena.
Parker, Van Metre and three other officers and three enlisted crewmembers were disciplined in a nonjudicial punishment proceeding Saturday. Charged with dereliction of duty, each received individual punishments.
In addition, one of the officers and one enlisted were administratively relieved of duties and ordered to return to their parent squadron in Connecticut.
Capt. Mike Mckinnon, a member of the Submarine Group 8 staff, assumed command of the Hartford on Saturday. He is an interim commanding officer.
Submarine Group 8 is responsible for operational control of submarines deployed to the Mediterranean Sea. Submarine Squadron 22 is in charge of monitoring the operational and material readiness of ships under the group’s control, and taking action for correcting deficiencies.
As of Saturday, the Hartford remained at Naval Support Activity La Maddalena, undergoing temporary repairs to its rudder and plates along the hull. Once repairs are complete, the submarine will return to Norfolk, Va., for permanent repairs.
There were no injuries in the incident. The ship began a scheduled six-month deployment in October.
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------------------------------------------------------------ Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. ------------------------------------------ 
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Not good for the old career.
Go with God, but make Him walk the point.
If you load a mudfoot down with a lot of gadgets he has to watch somebody a lot more simply equipped - say with a stone axe - will sneak up and bash his head in while he is trying to read a Vernier. - Robert Heinlein
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November 11, 2003
Hartford skipper, squadron commander face admiral’s mast
By Christopher Munsey
Times staff writer
Eight officers and enlisted sailors aboard the attack submarine Hartford, including its commanding officer and the submarine squadron’s commodore, went to admiral’s mast in La Maddalena, Italy, on Nov. 8 on charges of dereliction of duty following a grounding last month that damaged the submarine’s rudder.
The same day, Cmdr. Christopher Van Metre, Hartford’s CO, and Capt. Greg Parker, commodore of Submarine Squadron 22, were relieved of command by Rear Adm. P. Stephen Stanley, commander, Submarine Group 8.
Stanley ordered Parker and Van Metre relieved because he lost confidence in their ability to command, said Cmdr. Cate Mueller, a spokeswoman for 6th Fleet in Gaeta, Italy. Stanley’s action followed a preliminary investigation into the cause of the Oct. 25 mishap.
Parker was aboard as part of an existing agreement with the Italian government to help ensure the safe navigation of submarines in and out of La Maddalena, Mueller said.
That agreement directs that either the commodore or chief of staff of the squadron based at La Maddalena to be aboard whenever U.S. submarines are transiting. La Maddalena, home to submarine tender Emory S. Land, is a regular stop for U.S. submarines operating in the Mediterranean.
Mueller could not provide details on Parker’s specific role during the transit.
Following Stanley’s action, both Parker and Van Metre were ordered to return to their parent commands.
The mishap cut short Hartford’s deployment and Van Metre’s command. Van Metre took command of Hartford in July, and the submarine left New London, Conn., for a scheduled six-month deployment Oct. 9.
Besides Parker and Van Metre, three officers and three enlisted crew members were disciplined at the admiral’s mast. The crew members who were disciplined were directly involved in the navigation of the submarine, Mueller said.
Mueller would not disclose the specific discipline meted out to each crew member taken to mast, but said it could range from an oral reprimand or punitive letter of reprimand to reductions in rate. One officer and one enlisted crew member were ordered to return to New London.
Hartford touched bottom as it cruised on the surface east of the island of Caprera the afternoon of Oct. 25. Caprera is east of La Maddalena. Both islands are part of an archipelago just north of the island of Sardinia.
Although the area where Hartford scraped the bottom was described as “rocky,” no details were available on the depth of the water or the speed of the submarine when it hit.
The impact damaged the submarine’s rudder and made several scrapes on its hull.
As of Tuesday, Hartford was undergoing temporary repairs at La Maddalena, and will transit back to the United States for permanent repairs at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Va. A cost estimate and time frame for the permanent repair work were not available.
------------------------------------------------------------ Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. ------------------------------------------
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