The commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer Hopper was relieved of command Tuesday “due to a loss of confidence in her leadership,” the Navy announced.

While the announcement of Cmdr. Kathryn J. Dawley’s firing did not include a reason for the relief, a Navy official who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter said Wednesday that it was based on the commander’s “overall performance in this critical leadership billet,” and that no investigation spurred the firing.

Dawley did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent via Navy officials.

Capt. Don Rauch, deputy commander of Destroyer Squadron 31, has assumed temporary command of the Hawaii-based warship.

Dawley took command of Hopper in October 2018.

RELATED

Months before she took command, another Hopper CO, Cmdr. Jeffrey Tamulevich, was fired as commander of the ship in May 2018 after an investigation determined that he had a sexual relationship with one of his petty officers.

Dawley enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and was commissioned in 2003, according to her service record.

Geoff is the editor of Navy Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.

Share:
In Other News
Load More