USS McCain CO Infamous for Backwards Scope Photo Relieved of Command

[Sedalia Dave]

Commander of Navy warship relieved of duty months after backward rifle scope photo flap

 

I doubt the photo alone was reason but I bet it caused CentCom to look into why the crew would set up their CO to be publicly ridiculed.

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

From the AP:

 

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The commander of a Navy destroyer that’s helping protect the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Middle East has been relieved of duty about four months after he was seen in a photo firing a rifle with a scope mounted backward.

The image brought the Navy considerable ridicule on social media. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the destroyer USS John McCain, was removed on Friday.

The Navy said Yaste was relieved of duty “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer” that’s currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman. The statement didn’t elaborate about why Yaste was replaced.

In April, a photo posted on the Navy’s social media showed Yaste in a firing stance gripping the rifle with a backward scope.

The military news outlet Stars and Stripes reported that the Marine Corps took a dig at the Navy, sharing a photo on its social media of a Marine firing a weapon aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer. The caption read: “Clear Sight Picture.

The post featuring Yaste was ultimately deleted. “Thank you for pointing out our rifle scope error in the previous post,” the Navy later wrote on social media. “Picture has been removed until EMI (extra military instruction) is completed.”

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[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Any money on the Chief's on board having a hand in that?

I recall a talk by our CO telling us to "Never pick a fight with a Warrant Officer. You may win the battle, but you'll lose the war!"

[Pat Riot]

I’d bet money that photo is icing on a very bad cake. One silly photo wouldn’t be enough to get him sh** canned.  

[Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381]

2 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

I’d bet money that photo is icing on a very bad cake. One silly photo wouldn’t be enough to get him sh** canned.  

 

There is more to the story.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Was it photochopped?

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

The picture

 

 

[Pat Riot]

So they sent him to Everett, Washington. 
https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/3891338/navy-relieves-uss-john-s-mccain-commanding-officer/

 

That’s odd. The USS McCain’s home port is Everett Washington as well. Use to be a disgraced officer got sent somewhere way away from their last command’s home port.  
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_S._McCain_(DDG-56)

[Trailrider #896]

I wonder if the comments by the Marines had anything to do with it?   "Loss of confidence in the ability to command" is a catchall to cover the Navy's stern. 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

They were connecting via Starlink which is owned by Musk. I don’t think he’s a fan of US security.

[Pat Riot]

2 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

They were connecting via Starlink which is owned by Musk. I don’t think he’s a fan of US security.

Damn! I forgot my Secret Agent Man decoder ring.

[Rye Miles #13621]

22 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Commander of Navy warship relieved of duty months after backward rifle scope photo flap

 

I doubt the photo alone was reason but I bet it caused CentCom to look into why the crew would set up their CO to be publicly ridiculed.

I think you're right, it was probably the icing on his cake!

[Chantry]

16 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

So they sent him to Everett, Washington. 
https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/3891338/navy-relieves-uss-john-s-mccain-commanding-officer/

 

That’s odd. The USS McCain’s home port is Everett Washington as well. Use to be a disgraced officer got sent somewhere way away from their last command’s home port.  
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_S._McCain_(DDG-56)

It did say temporarily, either they are giving him a chance to resign or they haven't found a spot for him where he can't do any harm to the  Navy or any subordinates.

 

Wonder what he did that the enlisted on the ship set him up to fail.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

23 minutes ago, Chantry said:

It did say temporarily, either they are giving him a chance to resign or they haven't found a spot for him where he can't do any harm to the  Navy or any subordinates.

 

Wonder what he did that the enlisted on the ship set him up to fail.

If that is his residence, it would be the least expensive place to give him his separation.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

45 minutes ago, Chantry said:

It did say temporarily, either they are giving him a chance to resign or they haven't found a spot for him where he can't do any harm to the  Navy or any subordinates.

A lot of times they'll assign somebody like that to some sort of Admin type post where, while he is in charge, he's not in a Command Position.

[Cypress Sun]

On 9/4/2024 at 9:49 AM, Sedalia Dave said:

Commander of Navy warship relieved of duty months after backward rifle scope photo flap

 

I doubt the photo alone was reason but I bet it caused CentCom to look into why the crew would set up their CO to be publicly ridiculed.

 

On 9/4/2024 at 12:42 PM, Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 said:

 

There is more to the story.

 

There IS more to the story...

 

The US Navy sacked a destroyer captain after a persistent steering problem led to a Middle East near-miss (yahoo.com)

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Sounds like a classic Navy FUBAR where the skipper gets sacked regardless of his decisions. If the article is accurate, he clearly didn’t get the support he needed from USN. And if he had decided to take his ship offline until the matter was diagnosed and resolved, they’d have castigated him for that too. 

[J.D. Daily]

On 9/8/2024 at 3:31 PM, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Sounds like a classic Navy FUBAR where the skipper gets sacked regardless of his decisions. If the article is accurate, he clearly didn’t get the support he needed from USN. And if he had decided to take his ship offline until the matter was diagnosed and resolved, they’d have castigated him for that too. 

In these cases shit flows uphill.

The McCain must be haunted by the 10 crewmen who died when a FUBAR on the bridge caused a collision with a container ship.  The source of the FUBAR was the Navy's love affair with HiTec.  Touchscreen man machine interfaces are supposed to reduce the human's load; however, in this case it complicated the control of the throttles.  After this incident the Navy went back to mechanical controls.