The commanding officer, command master chief and former XO of the destroyer James E. Williams have been reassigned as Destroyer Squadron 2 investigates the command climate aboard the ship.
The deputy commodore, Capt. Anthony Simmons, assumed command of James E. Williams from Cmdr. Curtis Calloway on Tuesday, according to a release from Fleet Forces Command. Calloway, Cmdr. Ed Handley, the former XO, and CMC Travis Biswell have been transferred to Navy Surface Force Atlantic, "pending the outcome of the investigation," the release said.
A Navy official who spoke on background to discuss a sensitive matter said there is a separate investigation being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service into a liberty incident that occurred in the Sixth Fleet area of operations, but declined to divulge further details.
The Williams is currently on deployment in the Sixth Fleet. It left for an eight-month cruise May 30. The cruise began tragically when Boatswain's Mate Seaman Yeshabel Villot-Carrasco died in a suspected suicide on June 19.
Calloway is a graduate of Morehouse College, according to his Navy bio. He has served on the command ship Coronado, the cruiser Vincennes and the destroyer Barry.
He was the executive officer of the destroyer Gonzalez, as well as tours at Afloat Training Group Ingleside, Texas, and the Chief of Naval Operations office in the Naval Surface Fire Support section.
