The second-in-command of the cruiser Cowpens has been fired for drunken driving, the latest sign of turmoil for the star-crossed cruiser.
The ship's current CO, Capt. Scott Sciretta, fired Cmdr. Armando Ramirez after he was found guilty at admiral's mast of Article 111, drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle, and Article 133, conduct unbecoming of an officer.
Ramirez was the lone member of the command's triad after the June firings of the ship's then-CO, chief engineer and command master chief. The subsequent tale of the command's dysfunction on deployment has shocked fleet leaders and sailors. Ramirez reported to the ship after it returned from that independent cruise.
Ramirez's downfall began Aug. 31, when he came on the quarterdeck shortly after 10 p.m. The command master chief, who was on board, suspected Ramirez was drunk and subsequently gave him a breathalyzer, according to a Navy report obtained by Navy Times.
The report says Ramirez blew a 0.119 and agreed to stay on the ship overnight.
But then Ramirez allegedly left the ship around midnight, prompting a judge advocate general's investigation to assess whether he had driven his vehicle while intoxicated.
Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne, acting head of Carrier Strike Group 3, found Ramirez guilty on Wednesday and assigned him administrative punishment. Naval Surface Forces Pacific spokesman Lt. Rick Chernitzer declined to elaborate on how Ramirez was disciplined, citing privacy concerns.
Ramirez's removal is the latest in what has become a pattern of top-level turmoil at the San Diego-based ship, which has seen more command leaders fired than any other ship in the past four years. The previous command triad, Capt. Greg Gombert, former acting XO and chief engineer Lt. Cmdr. Destiny Savage and Command Master Chief Gabriel Keeton were all fired in June as allegations emerged that Gombert and Savage had fraternized on the cruise and that Gombert was running the deployed ship largely from the unit commander's cabin, typically used only in port.
Gombert is the third CO fired in the past four years. Capt. Holly Graf was fired for "cruelty" towards her crew in 2010, including swearing at subordinates and making officers perform personal favors, like walking her dogs or playing piano at her Christmas party. Graf's permanent replacement, Capt. Robert Marin, was fired two years later for carrying on an extra-marital affair. ■
David B. Larter was the naval warfare reporter for Defense News.
