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Skipper reprimanded for collision off Nigeria

Cmdr. Charles Sellers, skipper of the frigate Samuel B. Roberts, received a punitive letter of reprimand Thursday for a collision with a Nigerian warship, according to a Navy official who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.

Sellers was not relieved of command, but such a reprimand typically is seen as a career-ender. The incident happened during anti-piracy training in February off the Nigerian coast.

“Sammy B” arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on Feb. 10. Its multifaceted mission included joint training with the Nigerian navy. High on the agenda was a session of visit, board, search and seizure training with two Nigerian warships, Wamba and Burutu. This followed similar training with the Congolese navy two weeks earlier.

Sellers in a February news release said he and his sailors were “excited about coming to Lagos and operating with the Nigerian Naval professionals.”

But Nigeria’s seamanship proved to be lacking.

A March 30 Associated Press report on the increase in piracy off the coast of Nigeria questioned the effectiveness of that nation’s navy. It pointed to an incident during a “recent” training exercise in which Burutu drew near Samuel B. Roberts. The U.S. frigate sounded a warning through its loudspeaker that the Nigerian vessel was on a collision course.

The warning continued even as the Nigerian patrol boat scraped along the side of the U.S. warship, creating an ear-piercing metallic squeal. One U.S. sailor cursed and threw a blue hard hat at the Nigerian sailors, who merely stared, according to AP.

A Jacksonville, Fla., company on March 10 was awarded $370,780 for the maintenance and repair of Samuel B. Roberts.

Sellers is a Virginia Tech graduate who was commissioned through the NROTC program in December 1990. He has commanded the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate since December 2008. The ship is homeported in Mayport, Fla.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.