The commanding officer of HMCS Goose Bay has been relieved of his command after an incident earlier this week involving inappropriate comments to a subordinate, according to the Canadian Forces.

Lt.-Cmdr. Robert Tucker was removed as the commanding officer of the coastal defence vessel and posted onshore on Thursday.

A spokesperson for Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force Atlantic, Lt.-Cmdr. Jordan Holder, said the incident happened when the ship was alongside Caraquet, N.B., earlier this week.

"The incident involved inappropriate comments that were directed to a subordinate and witnessed by other subordinates and alcohol was a factor," Holder told CBC News on Friday.

'Unusual' for commanding officer to be removed

Holder said he believed the incident happened on the ship. There are about 40 crew members on board HMCS Goose Bay.

"There was concern from the chain of command that given the nature of the incident, that the trust of his subordinates may have been undermined and therefore the chain of command had lost confidence in his ability to continue command," Holder said.

He admitted it was "unusual" for a commanding officer to be removed from a ship.

Holder said the investigation into the incident is over and that Tucker's removal from command is permanent.

"There may be additional administrative actions taken," he said.