The former command triad of the destroyer James E. Williams was found guilty of dereliction of duty at captain's mast Thursday, Fleet Forces Command said Friday.
Capt. Fred Pyle, the head of Destroyer Squadron 2, punished former commanding officer Cmdr. Curtis Calloway, former executive officer Cmdr. Ed Handley and former Command Master Chief Travis Biswell, the FFC release said. The three were fired mid-deployment on Sept. 16.
Biswell was also disciplined for drunk and disorderly conduct.
There is a separate Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation underway into an alleged sexual assault involving multiple chiefs and a female petty officer during a 6th Fleet port call, an official familiar with the matter told Navy Times in September.
Calloway, Handley and Biswell were not accused of any criminal wrongdoing, the official said, but those implicated in the investigation were removed from the ship.
Cmdr. Heidi Haskins will take over as CO, the FFC release said. Cmdr. Chad Fella, the XO, and Command Master Chief Asa Worcestor will round out the Williams' leadership.
Calloway, Handley and Biswell have been temporarily reassigned to Naval Surface Force Atlantic and are expected to stay there until Navy Personnel Command makes a final ruling on their careers, the release said.
It has been a rough deployment for the James E. Williams, which departed Norfolk May 30. Three weeks into its eight-month independent deployment, the ship lost a sailor to a suspected suicide.
The ship has seen other command turmoil in recent years. In late 2009, Cmdr. Paul Marquis and Command Master Chief (SW/AW) Timothy Youell, were fired along with five chiefs following a fraternization epidemic in the command. Five chiefs were eventually kicked out of the Navy in a case that also involved a separate NCIS sexual assault investigation.
