Capt. Danielle C. DeFant, commander of the San Diego-based cruiser USS Lake Erie, was relieved of duty earlier this month by the Navy, which said it had lost confidence in her ability to command.
The Navy did not elaborate on its decision in an official announcement.
The Lake Erie will be under the command of Capt. Brandon Burkett until a permanent replacement is found, the Navy said.
DeFant, an Oceanside native, will serve elsewhere in the Navy’s Pacific Fleet.
Her career has lasted more than 30 years and involved service on everything from a frigate to destroyers and cruisers. She spent nearly two years as commander of the destroyer USS Paul Hamilton.
The Lake Erie is a 567-foot Ticonderoga-class guide-missile cruiser, a Cold War-era warship that is rapidly being phased out by the Navy. The shift has been criticized by some lawmakers who say the Navy spent a fortune modernizing many of the ships, then decided that they were no longer needed.
Guns blazing: The San Diego-based littoral combat ship USS Savannah on Tuesday successfully test fired a SM-6 missile in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the Navy said. The test was part of an effort to prove the ability of littoral combat ships to defend themselves and to attack enemy targets.
VIP on tap: U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro is scheduled to visit Balboa Hospital in San Diego on Friday to announce the name of a new warship. He also will visit General Dynamics-NASSCO on Saturday for the christening of the USNS Robert F. Kennedy, a fleet oiler that was built at the shipyard.
