In a rare move, both the captain and executive officer of the San Diego-based warship Anchorage were fired Tuesday after “a loss of confidence in their ability to effectively lead and carry out assigned duties,” according to the Navy.

Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, commander of Navy Surface Forces, relieved Capt. Jeff “Jenny” Craig and his second-in-command, Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Johnson. He appointed Capt. Tom Workman, director of the Littoral Combat Ship Implementation Team, to lead the Anchorage’s crew until permanent replacements can be selected.

The dismissals stemmed from maintenance problems found in the Anchorage’s propulsion system during a March inspection. Commissioned in 2013 in Alaska, the seventh San Antonio-class landing dock vessel sustained no damage to its engine or other vital components, but reviews by Expeditionary Strike Group 3 and Naval Surface Forces uncovered widespread “improper procedural compliance” throughout the warship, according to Navy spokesman Cmdr. John Perkins.

“Our commanding officers and their executive officers must maintain the highest standards of accountability, and their commanders must have confidence in their ability to lead,” Perkins said.


Attempts to contact Craig and Johnson for this story were unsuccessful.

A career pilot decorated for combat valor, Craig took command of the Anchorage on Dec. 16. During his 24 years in uniform, Craig served as a pilot of the EA-6B Prowler and an instructor at Electronic Attack Weapons School before rising to become the executive officer of Electronic Attack Squadron 132.

In late 2010, he led the “Scorpions” in the first operational deployment of an EA-18G Growler. They returned from the eight-month tour on July 12, 2011, with Craig having led the squadron in the skies over Iraq and Libya. His Scorpions flew more than 700 missions and maintained a 100 percent sortie accomplishment rate, according to the Navy.

A graduate of the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program, Craig, 46, served aboard the carrier Theodore Roosevelt as the flattop’s executive officer before taking the helm of the Anchorage five months ago. His decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with a Combat “V” for valor and the Strike Flight Air Medal.


Johnson, 38, is a career Surface Warfare Officer with extensive sea duty aboard the dock landing ships Carter Hall and Germantown before coming aboard the Anchorage 12 months ago.

The Anchorage underwent extensive maintenance after returning to San Diego in late 2015 from a seven-month deployment. In February, the Anchorage served as the flagship for Exercise Iron Fist, annual war games conducted by the Marine Corps and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force.


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cprine@sduniontribune.com