The Silent Service has suffered its second firing in as many weeks.
Cmdr. Daniel Lombardo was relieved as skipper of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine Springfield on Sept. 4 due to loss of confidence in his ability to command. The relief was due to performance issues, and had nothing to do with personal behavior, said Cmdr. Tommy Crosby, spokesman for Submarine Force Atlantic.
The decision was made by Capt. John McGunnigle, the head of Submarine Squadron 4. He has temporarily assigned Capt. Jack Houdeshell, the squadron's deputy commander, as Springfield's skipper until a permanent relief is selected. Houdeshell previously commanded the submarine Dallas.
Lombardo, a 1997 Naval Academy graduate, could not be immediately reached for comment Saturday. He has been administratively reassigned to the squadron's command staff. He was promoted to commander in January 2013, and assumed command of the Springfield in June 2014. That boat is one of 16 submarines homeported in Groton, Connecticut.
Lombardo is the second submariner to be axed in recent weeks. Cmdr. Vinny Wood, the XO of Trident Refit Facility, Kings Bay, Georgia, was removed from his post by Capt. Gunter Braun, the TRF's commanding officer, the TRF announced Aug. 31.
Wood is being investigated for an alleged affair with a married civilian employee; he has been reassigned to Submarine Group 10 at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
The events that led to Wood's firing started when the skipper learned that his XO was involved in an unduly familiar relationship. Braun "thought it prudent, based on existing information," to issue a Military Protective Order on Aug. 21, said Mark Turney, TRF spokesman. The order specified that Wood was to have no contact with the protected individual.
But Wood was with the married woman in the early morning hours of Aug. 23, according to a police report obtained by Navy Times. Her husband soon arrived; he referenced the protective order and taunts from both sides quickly turned physical. The fight left Wood in the hospital for at least 24 hours.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Lombardo is a 1993 Naval Academy graduate. He is a 1997 Naval Academy Graduate.
