The commander of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy has been relieved of his command after the big warship collided with a small dhow sailing vessel in the Gulf, the Navy said on Thursday. The carrier, whose warplanes fly close air support and strike missions over Iraq, collided with and sank the dhow on the night of July 22, triggering an investigation into how the small boat was allowed to get so close in an area of high military security. The move involving Navy Capt. Stephen Squires, who assumed command of the Kennedy only four months ago, "is an administrative action, not a disciplinary action, while the investigation is going on," said Cmdr. Ed Buclatin, a Navy spokesman in San Diego, California. U.S. warships in the Gulf region have been on special alert for possible terrorism attack since a small boat laden with explosives was detonated beside the guided missile destroyer USS Cole on Oct. 12, 2000, in Aden harbor, Yemen. Seventeen U.S. sailors died and 39 were injured in the attack. The Navy issued a brief news release on Thursday saying Squires would be "temporarily reassigned to duties in the United States" after being replaced by Capt. John Miller on Friday. Miller previously served as commander of the aircraft carrier USS Constellation. --More 2302 Local Time 2002 GMT
