In the case of the San Diego-based Montgomery, Commanders Zamberlan and Lundberg will be reassigned to desk jobs at the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet’s Naval Surface Force. Cmdr. Dustin Lonero, from the littoral combat ship Coronado, was assigned as the Montgomery’s skipper until a permanent replacement is named.
The Navy has dealt with other command issues related to sexual harassment in recent months. In April, the admiral in charge of naval aviation maintenance depots, Rear Adm. Trent DeMoss, was removed from command pending a Navy inspector general inquiry into sexual harassment complaints. That firing was reported earlier by USNI News.
Littoral combat ships like the Montgomery are a relatively new class of Navy warship. They entered the fleet in the past two years to operate in littoral areas, or waters close to shore, where larger vessels may have difficulty maneuvering.
Small and agile with crews of about 80 sailors, Independence-class littoral warships like the Montgomery have a futuristic-looking, all-aluminum trimaran design. The Montgomery has in recent years patrolled contested waterways like the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea in what Navy officials say is a signal to allies and adversaries that the United States is committed to protecting free and open international waters.
The littoral combat ships have experienced growing pains, with engine problems and other flaws that Navy officials now say they have ironed out.