The commander of the US Navy's longest serving submarine has demoted for hiring prostitutes in the Philippines. Captain Travis Zettel commanded the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Bremerton.

According to an investigation by the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service the captain told a fellow sailor he had "ordered ten girls to arrive at the hotel" while they were ashore in Subic Bay.

He was later seen with about 10 "provocatively dressed females outside the front door of the hotel," according to a witness.

An investigation was begun following a tip from a sailor to an anonymous Naval hotline.

According to the report Zettel admitted "culpability in the payment of female accompaniment" during the incident last March.

He was relieved of duty in August due to "a loss in confidence in his ability to command" and reassigned to a job with a different submarine squadron.

The decision to relieve him of duty was announced at the time but no details were given.

Details of the investigation emerged following a freedom of information request by the Kitsap Sun newspaper in Bremerton, Washington.