A US Navy commander whose attempt at college humor backfired big time when bawdy videos clips he produced went public — which included sexually suggestive scenes and gay slurs — was relieved of his post today.
Capt. Owen Honors, commander of the USS Enterprise, was stripped of his command, according to the US Navy.
Adm. John Harvey Jr., commander of US Fleet Forces Command, said in a statement that Honors demonstrated “poor judgment while serving as an executive officer of that ship.”
“The responsibility of the Commanding Officer for his or her command is absolute. While Capt. Honors’ performance as commanding officer of USS Enterprise has been without incident, his profound lack of good judgment and professionalism while previously serving as executive officer on Enterprise calls into question his character and completely undermines his credibility to continue to serve effectively in command,” Harvey’s statement said.
Harvey said he has lost confidence in Honors’ ability to lead effectively. He said an investigation would continue to look into the production of the videos and will probe the actions of other senior officers.
Honors has been reassigned to administrative duties as Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic. Capt. Dee Mewbourne will be permanently assigned as the commanding officer of the Enterprise, the statement said.
The Navy has already picked a replacement to head the Enterprise, which is scheduled to deploy to the Middle East this month.
Honors made the offending videos on 2006 and 2007,w hen he was second in command of the ship.
It’s unclear when the Navy found out about the videos, but Honors has been under fire since the Virginian-Pilor newspaper first disclosed the videos on Sunday.
A Navy spokesman called the videos “clearly inappropriate.”
The videos — which aim to be humorous — feature simulated masturbation and show Honors cursing and repeatedly using derogatory terms for gays.
Another scene — called “Chicks in the Shower” — purports to show two women showering together. The women are shown from the shoulders up, but the viewer is led to infer that they are nude.
Honors — who starred in as well as produced the skits — opens up the video by acknowledging the material might be offensive.
“Over the years I’ve gotten several complaints about inappropriate material during these videos–never to me personally, but gutlessly through other channels,” Honors said.
“This evening all of you bleeding hearts and you f— SWO boy why don’t you just go ahead and hug yourself for the next twenty minutes or so because there’s a really good chance you’re going to be offended.”
The videos were shown to all crew members on the nuclear warship’s closed circuit TV system.
Some crew members who worked under Honors — the son of a former Syracuse police chief — defended him.
“It’s no worse than anything you’d see on Saturday Night Live or the Family Guy,” former crew member Misty Davis told the Associated Press.
Davis — who was stationed aboard the Enterprises weapons systems during her 2006-2010 tour —said Honors was “the best the Navy has to offer.”
Over 1700 people signed up to a Facebook page, Support Captain Owen Honors, many of whom claimed to be former crew members.