Navy fires commander of aircraft carrier

The Navy yesterday removed the captain of the USS Kitty Hawk, an aircraft carrier that played a key role in the war in Afghanistan, citing a "loss of confidence" in the skipper's ability "to lead his crew and carry out essential missions and taskings."

Capt. Thomas Hejl, who took command of the Kitty Hawk in August 2001, was removed by Vice Adm. Robert Willard, commander of the 7th Fleet.

The carrier, based in Japan, played an unusual role during the war last year, toting special-operations helicopters and troops, with only a handful of its usual fighter aircraft aboard.

According to Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper, Navy officials detected a series of events that indicated a decline in standards aboard the ship.

Most notably, the Kitty Hawk hit a buoy upon entering the port of Singapore earlier this year while the captain was on the bridge. The accident damaged the ship's main shaft and propeller, the newspaper said.

The carrier last week failed an inspection of its propulsion system and the crew's ability to "essentially do their jobs" in regard to using the system to power the ship, said Cmdr. Matt Brown, a fleet spokesman.

"That's a major inspection," he said.

Hejl was replaced by Capt. Robert "Don" Barbaree Jr., a former executive officer of another carrier, the USS Nimitz, and a former commander of the USS Seattle, a supply ship.

Hejl has been assigned to a Navy staff job in San Diego.

The Kitty Hawk is more than 1,000 feet long and more than 200 feet high.