Word: commandant
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...Cruel Sea On June 1, 2007, 22 years after leaving Annapolis, Graf was promoted to captain. Her assumption of command of the U.S.S. Cowpens in March 2008 was a second special day for her and for women in the Navy. The 567-ft., 10,000-ton vessel is the Navy's largest surface combatant, and Graf was the first - and is so far the only - woman to command this class of ship, with its 400-member crew. Driving a boxy cruiser requires ship-handling skills more deft than those needed to skipper a sleek destroyer or a frigate. But commanding...
...Most damaging, perhaps, was Graf's habit of verbal abuse. The language of naval command is supposed to be crisp and to the point. Orders pertaining to speed, direction and a host of other decisions needed to guide a warship are repeated back and forth among those on the bridge to reduce the chance of error. There's remarkably little conversation on the bridge at most times; swearing is extremely rare. (Belowdecks, among enlisted personnel, it is more common.) But according to 29 of 36 members of the cruiser's crew questioned by Navy investigators - whose names were redacted from...
...handling of the Japan-based Cowpens. In her defense, Graf told investigators that she had "no recollection" of making such comments, and she "appeared incredulous at the accusations." Graf charged that a small group of disgruntled officers were spreading rumors among the crew "and convincing others that the command climate and [her] demeanor were far worse than they actually were." But she followed up with an email. "Many times I raised my tone (and used swear words) to ensure they knew this time, it was no kidding," she wrote. "I also did it on other occasions to intentionally pressurize...
...investigators gave Graf no quarter. Graf violated Navy regulations "by demeaning, humiliating, publicly belittling and verbally assaulting ... subordinates while in command of Cowpens," the report found. Her actions "exceeded the firm methods needed to succeed or even thrive," and her "harsh language and profanity were rarely followed with any instruction." Her repeated criticism of her officers, often in front of lower-ranking crew members, was "contrary to the best interests of the ship and the Navy...
...When the 50-page report landed on the desk of Graf's superior, Rear Admiral Kevin Donegan, he relieved her of command...