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La Jolla commanding officer fired

HONOLULU — The commander of the nuclear attack submarine USS La Jolla based at Pearl Harbor was relieved of his post Friday “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the U.S. Pacific Fleet submarine force said.

Cmdr. Doug Sampson, who had been in command of the Los Angeles-class submarine since October 2007, was relieved of command by the commodore of Submarine Squadron One, Capt. Stanley Robertson, the Navy said.

“This action was deemed necessary due to the failure of Cmdr. Sampson to meet the high Navy standards necessary to remain in command,” the Pacific Fleet submarine force said in a statement.

Sampson will be temporarily assigned to Submarine Squadron One, the Navy said. Cmdr. Erik Burian, who previously held command of the Pearl Harbor-based sub USS Los Angeles, has taken command of USS La Jolla.

Sampson could not be reached for comment.

Lt. Cmdr. David Benham, a spokesman for the Pearl Harbor-based Pacific Fleet submarine force, said he could not go into specifics on the submarine skipper’s removal. Those issues are under investigation, he said.

“The issues, I would say, concern some of the in-port planning, the operations and the administration, which fell short of the high Navy standards,” Benham said.

Benham said Sampson’s “leadership of the crew was inadequate, and that caused the loss of confidence that led to his relief.”

The 360-foot-long, 9,600-ton submarine is in the Pearl Harbor shipyard for about 10 months of maintenance.

“Neither the crew nor the public was ever in any danger in relation to the events that led to Commander Sampson’s removal,” Benham said.

Another official said the removal relates to required documentation of inspections and testing.

The Pacific Fleet submarine force said administrative action also “has been taken or is being considered” for an unspecified number of other crew members of USS La Jolla.

Benham said the La Jolla, commissioned in 1981, is in the shipyard for maintenance in anticipation of its decommissioning at a date to be determined.

Sampson enlisted in the Navy in 1984, his official biography says. He graduated from Auburn University, attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., and received his commission in November 1989.