The commander of the US Navy's submarine West Virginia has been removed from his post.

The US Navy command has removed the commander of the so-called "blue" crew of the nuclear submarine missile Ohio-class submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN-736). The officer in question is Commander Joseph Sammour. The decision was made by the commander of Submarine Squadron 20 (CSS-20), based at Naval Station Kings Bay in Georgia.

The reason cited for the removal was "loss of confidence in the ability to command." The US Navy did not disclose the specific circumstances leading to this decision. In American military practice, this wording is standard for removing commanders and can cover a wide range of reasons, from onboard incidents and dereliction of duty to personal misconduct or professional incompetence. In this case, the military did not say whether any investigation is underway or whether disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against the officer.

Commander Joseph Sammour assumed command of the crew on August 14, 2025, replacing James Kepper. His tenure thus far has been less than a year. He was commissioned in 2006. Prior to his assignment to the USS West Virginia, he served as the chief of the Strategic Operations Section for Task Force Green Dragons at the National Airborne Command Center.

Luke Kelvington, deputy for combat training, Submarine Squadron 20, has been appointed acting commander. The submarine USS West Virginia is currently in port for scheduled maintenance and repairs. Navy officials emphasized that the personnel decision will not impact the ship's combat readiness or mission schedule.

USS West Virginia (SSBN-736) is an Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile attack submarine. It is part of the United States strategic nuclear forces and is homeported in Kings Bay. The ship was commissioned in 1990. It utilizes a two-crew system ("Blue" and "Gold"), which alternates between combat duty and maintenance.

The rank of commander in the US Navy is equivalent to the rank of commander in the Russian Navy. navy The rank of captain of the second rank. Some experts define it as a rank "closer" to captain of the first rank.

Sammour's removal is the latest in a series of similar personnel decisions in the US Navy this year.

Comments

[sub307]

The officer was called to service in 2006. Prior to his assignment to the USS West Virginia, he served as the chief of the strategic operations section of Task Force Green Dragons at the National Air Command Center. https://topwar.ru/287417-komandir-apl-west-virginia-vms-ssha-otstranen-ot-dolzhnosti.html

The National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC) is a mobile command center that operates under the command of the National Airborne Command and Control System (NAC).
dzen.ru
The center is designed to operate in national emergencies such as nuclear war, natural disasters, or the destruction of ground control centers.
dzen.ru
NAOC operates a Boeing E-4B Nightwatch aircraft, also known as the "Doomsday Plane." The aircraft is equipped with sophisticated electronic equipment and shielded against electromagnetic pulse (EMP) damage.
rbc.ru
dzen.ru
The US has four of these aircraft in service, based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

I wonder how he ended up in this position. To become a submarine commander in the US, a candidate must have commanded all the "combat units," including the submarine mechanic position—at least that's how it was. And then—"Green Dragons" at NAOC...!?

[Metallurg_2]

So here we also appoint ground troops to command the Aerospace Forces.

[Boa kaa]

Quote: Metallurg_2

So here we also appoint ground troops to command the Aerospace Forces.

So you're not going to fly a Tu-160! You're going to command an operational-strategic formation of the Russian Armed Forces. But commanding a SSBN isn't like "moving your hands" on a global scale! On a submarine, the COMMANDER is second only to God. Hundreds of crew members' lives depend on his decisions, intelligence, reactions, premonitions, and LUCK... It's clear on the aircraft carrier, where "airbosses" (sailor officers who have made a solo landing on an aircraft carrier at sea) become captains. But that's a "floating airfield." Everything seems clear here. But for a management officer, not a submariner... to become captain of a SSBN? That would require a lot of cunning. Or at least a very hairy dad with a paw just like that.
The level of command that appoints (and removes) captains in the American submarine fleet is astonishing. SSBN squadron command. Not even submarine force command... We even have a fleet commander, after a Navy certification commission... Still, it's a level of some sort... They check navigation qualifications, test specialized knowledge, and so on and so forth... And then this "pacer" climbed into the command chair and, as expected, screwed up... And rightfully so: "Don't get into someone else's sleigh!" (c)
AHA.

[Pete mitchell]

Quote: Metallurg_2

It's the same with us...

...just for a smile in the morning. Many years ago, when a highly developed civilization was collapsing, a group of personnel retrained on the MiG-31 and accordingly passed tests, including in aerodynamics... Not verbatim, of course: - I know nothing about aerodynamics, I haven't studied it. A navigator on a nuclear submarine, captain… In that chaos, a LenKom graduate was apparently laid off and offered a position as a third navigator on an Il-38. He apparently only works in the search zone there: naval aviation to the naval... And then they laid those off too: naval aviation? Navigator? Let's go to the 31st in the back office... People nearly busted their stomachs.

[alexboguslavski]

The US Navy command has removed the commander of the so-called "blue" ("blue") crew of the Ohio-class nuclear-powered missile submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN-736).

The blue crew is... (I won't go into detail, the moderator gave me a couple of warnings here for calling Graham what he is in our simple, working-class, peasant way)

[Alf]

Quote: alexboguslavski

The Blue Crew is...

Gentlemen hussars, be silent!!!

[andrewkor]

In a tolerant way it sounds like this: Blue crew - a crew of blue people, Gold - a crew of gold ones. No one is offended, everyone is happy!

[knn54]

-The blue crew is...
The blue one runs, the carriage sways...
- did not disclose the specific circumstances that led to this decision.
Maybe it got stuffy and you wanted to open the window...

[alexboguslavski]

Quote: knn54

-The blue crew is...
The blue one runs, the carriage sways...

Blue, blue, we don't want to play with you!

— Blue belly! Blue forelock! Look at that dyed dove!

[faterdom]

Luke Kelvington has been appointed acting commander of the crew.

That's right, but a boat must have a hatch. And a seacock.

[Nexcom]

The commander of this "crew" hung out the "colorful" flag poorly, lacking inspiration? He held back his fellow soldiers' bright lipstick? He didn't allow formal makeup to be applied during formations? What a disaster... so the "dove" refused to obey. How hard it was for them to serve... They were right to fire him.

[seamen2]

Joseph the Saint was captain on it, Blow, boys, blow,
All the blacks revered him as their father, Blow, boys, blow!
He got a hundred "black sheep", Blow, boys, blow.
He avoided ports as if it were the plague,

[Uma palata]

Quote: Alf

Quote: alexboguslavski

The Blue Crew is...

Gentlemen hussars, be silent!!!

I, too, was curious about "gay." Without knowing the specifics, I'm tempted to ask: were the crew members comprised of combat-ready homosexuals and, excuse me, naval women? They didn't stop such findybobers before Trump.
As for the discussed replacement of the foreign submarine's commander, allow me to offer an amateurish guess. Apparently, they initially assigned some crooked staff member there, but he couldn't handle the job. Well, considering they have much better common sense there, they replaced him.
(Comrade Occam's principle - don't invent anything unnecessary).