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Sub CO is latest in series of skipper firings

SAN DIEGO — The skipper of the fast-attack submarine Helena was relieved of command Wednesday for “loss of confidence,” a Navy spokeswoman said, the most recent firing in what has become a rash of commanding officer-level dismissals for “administrative” reasons.

Cmdr. William A. Schwalm was relieved of command of Helena by his boss, Capt. Paul N. Jaenichen, commodore of Submarine Squadron 11, said Lt. Alli Myrick, a squadron spokeswoman at Point Loma Naval Base in San Diego.

Jaenichen made his decision based on “just a pattern of performance over time that was consistently not meeting the standards” expected of a commanding officer, Myrick said. The captain lost confidence “in his ability to maintain the Helena crew’s proficiency and level of readiness.”

Schwalm was the fifth skipper to be fired in the past month — his four predecessors include the captain of an EA-6 Prowler electronic warfare squadron, just nine days after he’d taken command; the head of a major national recruiting district; the captain of a destroyer on its way to the Persian Gulf; and the captain of the historical ship USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides.”

Although the Navy has officially revealed little about the various dismissals, sources have unofficially hinted that potential causes range from simple incompetence to improper fraternization to an allegation that a captain struck an enlisted crew member.

Schwalm had assumed command of Helena on June 9 and led the submarine on a two-month deployment to the U.S. Southern Command region. He has been temporarily reassigned to a position at Naval Mine and Anti-submarine Warfare Command in San Diego, Myrick said.

Jaenichen assigned Cmdr. Daryl L. Caudle, his deputy at the submarine squadron, as the temporary commander of Helena until a permanent skipper is named. Caudle most recently had command of the fast-attack boat, Jefferson City.

Schwalm, a native of Petersburg, Mich., who was commissioned into the Navy in 1987, has served on five submarines, including the fast-attack submarine Philadelphia, where he served as the executive officer, according to his official biography. His other submarine assignments include the Daniel Webster, Sea Devil and Alabama.

Among his military decorations are the Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (three awards) and Navy Achievement Medal (two awards).

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