NORFOLK, Va. - The U.S. Navy says two top officers of a Virginia-based ship have been relieved of their duties after an investigation into hazing and other incidents aboard the vessel.
The Navy says Cmdr. Etta Jones, the commanding officer of the Norfolk-based Ponce, was relieved Saturday because she failed to properly investigate, report and hold sailors accountable for hazing incidents. The Navy says she also failed to properly handle a handgun during a security alert, which endangered some of her crew.
The Navy says Lt. Cmdr. Kurt Boenisch, the ship's executive officer, was removed because of his failure to provide support to the command and commanding officer.
In January, an officer was fired from his command of the Norfolk-based USS Enterprise amid an investigation into lewd videos broadcast aboard the ship.