A command master chief in Florida, was fired Tuesday for allegedly colluding with two other sailors in attempting to falsify physical fitness scores.

Master Chief Hospital Corpsman (SW) Rachel Watson was relieved as the senior enlisted adviser of Navy Cargo Handling Battalion Eleven in the Jacksonville, Florida, area after an inquiry that found misconduct and unsatisfactory performance, Navy officials said.

It’s unclear whether Watson will face any further administrative or disciplinary action as a result of the misconduct, according to Lt. Cmdr Cate Cook, spokeswoman for Navy Expeditionary Combat Command.

Watson allegedly submitted false corrections to several sailors’ Physical Fitness Assessment score, requesting they be updated in the Navy’s Physical Readiness Information Management System, according to a Navy official familiar with the investigation.

But those alleged corrections were questioned by another sailor in the chain of command which led to the investigation which uncovered the alleged collusion, the official said.

Watson, who is a selected reservist, was tapped for master chief in 2013 and as a command master chief in 2015. An Alabama native, Watson joined the Navy in 1989 and served as a hospital corpsman until her selection as a CMC and her assignment to NCHB 11 IN April, 2015.

She served at multiple Navy Reserve and Navy Operational Support Centers during her career as well as tours aboard the frigate Ainsworth in the early 1990s and with the Seabees in Gulfport, Mississippi, and in Norfolk, Virginia.

Along with her Enlisted Surface Warfare insignia, Watson is qualified to wear two awards of the Meritorious Service Medal; three awards of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal; The Army Commendation Medal; and four awards of the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Master Chief Boatswains Mate Andy Gray will temporarily assume command master chief responsibilities for NCHB-11 until a permanent replacement is named.

NCHB-11 is one of seven Navy Cargo Handling Battalions nationwide and is part of the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group. The unit is based at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, located on the St. John’s River, near Jacksonville, Florida, not far from Naval Station Mayport.

These units provide logistics capabilities for the Navy, conducting surface and air cargo handling missions, cargo terminal and warehouse operations, fuels distribution, postal services, customs inspections, ordnance reporting and handling, and expeditionary communications.

Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.

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