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The Navy has relieved the commander of a mine-sweeper for having an "unduly familiar relationship" with his female second-in-command. The case, believed to be the first firing of the top two officers on the same ship for fraternizing with one another, is generating a tidal wave of commentary on Navy-related blogs. Some old salts cite it as evidence that women shouldn't serve aboard naval vessels, while others believe the Navy over-reacted and has lost two talented officers — including a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy — in which U.S. taxpayers have invested heavily.

Lt. Cmdr. James Rushton and his executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Anne Laird, were relieved of duty of the USS Chief, a 225-foot mine countermeasures ship with a crew of 80, now in San Diego. Capt. Robert Hospodar, commodore of Mine Countermeasures Squadron 2, announced Dec. 8 that Rushton "violated the Navy's fraternization policy by engaging in an unduly familiar relationship with a subordinate female member of his crew," a Navy spokesman said. Hospodar also fired Laird for "misconduct" after "an investigation into a violation of the Navy's fraternization policy" by the pair. Such punishment generally signals the end of a Navy career.

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