Commander of the Navy's Oldest Submarine Fired Amid Investigation
Military.com 29 Aug 2018 By Gina Harkins
The commanding officer of the fast-attack
submarine Bremerton was removed from his job this week, Navy officials said on Wednesday night.
Cmdr. Travis Zettel was relieved of his duties on
Monday by Capt. Michael Lewis, the commander of Submarine Squadron 19. Lewis
lost confidence in Zettel's ability to serve as commanding officer, Navy
officials said in a statement.
There is an ongoing investigation into Zettel's
relief, said Lt. j. g. Michelle Pelissero, a spokeswoman for Submarine Force,
U.S. Pacific Fleet. No additional details about his relief were immediately
released.
Zettel took command of Bremerton, the Navy's
oldest submarine, in August 2016. He was administratively reassigned following
his relief to the staff of Submarine Squadron 19, which is based in Bangor,
Washington.
Cmdr. David Kaiser, SUBRON 19's deputy commander,
has temporarily replaced Zettel until a permanent leader for the Bremerton is
named.
Zettel previously attended the College of Naval
Warfare and completed a tour on the staff of the Australian submarine force
commander in Western Australia, according to his official bio.
He also served as operations officer for the
staff of the commander of Submarine Group Seven in Japan and as strategic
weapons officer aboard the ballistic-missile submarine Nebraska Gold.
The Bremerton returned to Hawaii from its final deployment in April. For six months, the
nation's longest-serving submarine traveled more than 42,000 nautical miles in
some of the world's busiest environments, Master Chief Petty Officer Wade
Jacobson, Bremerton's boat chief, said in a Navy news release.
The
Bremerton later returned to its namesake city in Washington state where it
began its decommissioning process. The submarine had been in service for more
than 37 years.
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