NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. – An investigation into the April 14 fire aboard the USS Hue City ended with the ship's executive officer being relieved of his duties Thursday.
According to a news release from the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Rear Adm. Vic Mercado, commander of Carrier Strike Group 8, found that Lt. Cmdr. John Liddle failed to comply with procedures that could have prevented the fire.
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The fire occurred while the ship, which is based out of Naval Station Mayport, was on scheduled deployment, crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was about 200 nautical miles northeast of Bermuda when the fire broke out.
Flammable material had been stored in an exhaust uptake trunk. The fire was extinguished without significant injury but caused enough damage to force to the guided missile cruiser to turn back one week into its deployment.
Liddle's relief has not yet been named.
The USS Hue City, which was commissioned in 1991, is 567 feet long and 55 feet tall and is named for a Vietnam War battle.