US navy captain and three other officers sacked for drunken behaviour and misconduct in Russian port of Vladivostok
The captain of a US navy frigate and three officers have been sacked after an investigation found they had engaged in drunken behaviour and misconduct during a recent port visit in Russia.
Commander Joseph R Darlak was relieved of command of the USS Vandegrift in Guam after the investigation determined that several of the ship's officers had been drunk and disorderly during a trip to Vladivostok in September, navy spokeswoman Commander Tamsen Reese said.
"The officers demonstrated poor judgment, including some officers being drunk (and) disorderly, and not adhering to established liberty policies," said Reese.
The navy also relieved the ship's executive officer, operations officer and chief engineer from their duties "for personal conduct and use of alcohol," she said.
The Navy Times reported it was the fleet's first mass firing stemming from a port visit since March 2011.
Darlak and the other three officers were being temporarily reassigned "pending potential other administrative actions," she said.
The Vandegrift left San Diego in May for a seven-month deployment to the western Pacific and docked in Vladivostok on 21 September, during which the misconduct occurred.