Pearl Harbor submarine commander removed from duty
COURTESY U.S. NAVY
The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Charlotte (SSN 766) returns to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam from a six-month deployment to the western Pacific in 2013.
Capt. Michael Majewski on Tuesday relieved Cmdr. Joseph Lautenslager of his command of the USS Charlotte, which experienced the second armed watch stander suicide recently on a Pearl Harbor submarine in the shipyard.
An investigation into the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine based at Pearl Harbor revealed leadership and command climate problems, which caused Majewski to lose confidence in Lautenslager’s ability to perform as commanding officer, according to a news release Wednesday from the Commander Submarine Force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Cmdr. Christopher Hedrick, deputy commander of CSS-7, has assumed command of the Charlotte until a permanent replacement is named.
The USS Charlotte has been based in Hawaii since 1995.
