The Navy cited a loss of confidence in Cmdr. William Bradley Swanbeck’s ability to command the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine Montpelier when he was fired from his job in June 2018.
The Navy said little else at the time but at a special court-martial trial in Groton, Connecticut in December, the ousted commanding officer pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct unbecoming resulting from an “inappropriate relationship” with the spouse of an enlisted subordinate, according to results of the case released by the service.
Swanbeck’s civilian defense attorney, Robert Crow, declined to comment when reached by Navy Times.
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Swanbeck was sentenced to a reprimand and a forfeiture of pay of $1,500 for 11 months.
He took command of the Montpelier in April 2016.
After he was relieved of command, Swanbeck was reassigned to Submarine Squadron Four.
The submarine warfare officer received his commission in 1999 after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, according to a Navy biography.
Courtney Mabeus-Brown is the senior reporter at Air Force Times. She is an award-winning journalist who previously covered the military for Navy Times and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., where she first set foot on an aircraft carrier. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy and more.
