USS Hershel “Woody” Williams enters the port at Libreville, Gabon, on May 5, 2024. The ship ran aground near the port four days later. On July 8, the Navy relieved Gold crew commander Capt. Lenard Mitchell in connection with the grounding. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
NAPLES, Italy — The Navy has relieved a commanding officer with more than 30 years of service in connection with his ship running aground in May as it attempted to leave a port in Africa.
Capt. Lenard Mitchell, Gold crew commander of the expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, was relieved by Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee due to a lack of confidence in his ability to command, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet said in a statement Monday.
The Navy did not say exactly when Mitchell was removed but said sufficient evidence emerged during its investigation into the “soft grounding” that warranted relieving him of command. The investigation is ongoing, according to the statement.
Woody Williams grounded at about 1 p.m. on May 9 as it was leaving the port of Libreville, Gabon, to take part in the Obangame Express exercise in the Gulf of Guinea. There were no injuries or major damage, and the ship eventually broke free at high tide about four hours later.
But the ship languished outside the port for more than a week waiting for an inspection before eventually getting underway. The ship wasn’t able to participate in the exercise as planned.
Woody Williams is one of the few U.S. naval ships with missions primarily in Africa, where rivals China and Russia have made their own inroads. The ship plays a part in broader U.S. government efforts to build partnerships in a region America considers vital to its national security interests.
Capt. Lenard Mitchell, Gold crew commander of the expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, speaks during a change of command ceremony in the hangar bay while deployed to Namibia, Nov. 25, 2022. Mitchell was relieved of command in connection to the grounding of the ship off the coast of Gabon in May, the Navy announced Monday. (Conner Blake/U.S. Navy)
Capt. Lenard Mitchell, Gold crew commander of the expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, in an official photo on Nov. 28, 2022. Mitchell was relieved of command in connection to the grounding of the ship off the coast of Gabon in May, the Navy announced Monday. (Ryan Seelbach/U.S. Navy)
Mitchell of Canton, Miss., enlisted in the Navy in 1990. His previous assignments include executive officer and later commanding officer of the littoral combat ship USS Little Rock.
He was named commanding officer of Williams’ Gold crew in November 2022. In May, Mitchell told Stars and Stripes the current deployment would be his last as he planned to retire.
Mitchell has been temporarily assigned to Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic. Capt. Michael Concannon will assume duties as interim commanding officer, the Navy said.
Woody Williams is deployed to the U.S. Naval Forces Africa. Its homeport is at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete.
The ship operates with a hybrid crew of 100 sailors who manage flight and other operations, and 50 civilian mariners responsible for navigation and maintenance. To sustain its presence, Woody Williams is manned by two separate crews, dubbed Blue and Gold, which rotate five-month deployments.
