Skipper of Navy cruiser retreated to cabin for weeks and left 330 crew members leaderless while having 'improper and unduly familiar' relationship with female officer

A Navy investigation has found Captain Gregory Gombert retreated to his cabin from January to March during a deployment

He was suffering an undisclosed ailment that should not have left him unable to lead, found the investigation



It also found Gombert an an improper relationship with acting executive officer Destiny Savage

Gombert, Savage and Master Chief Petty Officer Gabriel Keeton were all removed from their positions in June

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Navy investigation finds the ailing skipper of a San Diego-based Navy cruiser retreated to his cabin for several weeks in the middle of a deployment, leaving the 330-member crew leaderless.

The probe also revealed that the skipper of the USS Cowpens, Captain Gregory W. Gombert, was having an improper and 'unduly familiar' relationship with the cruiser's acting executive officer, U-T San Diego reported Wednesday.

The Navy removed Gombert and the ship's command master chief, Master Chief Petty Officer Gabriel J. Keeton, from their positions on June 10. The reason given at the time was poor ship condition.