Holly Graf

Last updated

Holly Ann Graf
US Captain Holly Graf.jpg
Born Simsbury, Connecticut, U.S.
AllegianceFlag of the United States (Pantone).svg United States
Service/branchFlag of the United States Navy (official).svg  United States Navy
Years of service19852010
Rank US Navy O6 infobox.svg Captain
Commands USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81)
USS Cowpens (CG-63)
Battles/wars Operation Iraqi Freedom
Awards Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (with one gold star).

Holly Ann Graf is a retired United States Navy officer. Until January 2010 she was commanding officer of the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG-63), a major surface combatant vessel of the fleet. She was the first woman to command a cruiser in the history of the U.S. Navy. Earlier, she had been among the first women in the U.S. Navy to command a destroyer when she served as skipper of the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81). Her personal decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star, among others. [1] Graf was relieved of command for abusive behavior unbecoming of an officer and was featured in Time magazine that characterized her as a modern-day female "Captain Bligh". [2] The U.S. Navy forced Graf into early retirement in 2012, but allowed her to do so at her current rank of captain and under "honorable circumstances". [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Graf grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut, to a family with a long history of naval service. Her father is a retired captain and Submarine Officer in the U.S. Navy, and her sister, Robin L. Graf, is a retired Rear Admiral (LH) in the Navy Reserve. [4] Graf graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1985. Most of her colleagues at the time believed she was well on her way to flag rank. [5]

She holds a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and an additional Master's degree in civil engineering from Villanova University. [6]

Graf's previous billets include Auxiliaries Officer and First Division Officer on the destroyer tender USS Puget Sound (AD-38), this due to combat restrictions in effect at the time (10 USC 6015) that precluded women from being eligible to serve on front-line combatant warships in the U.S. Navy. [7] With the termination of this restriction in 1993 and the first women embarking on warships in 1994, Graf subsequently became the Weapons Officer aboard the frigate USS Ainsworth (FF-1090) and executive officer of the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54). She was subsequently promoted to commander and served as commanding officer of the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) from 20 April 2002 to 6 February 2004. During this deployment, she participated in the opening stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was promoted to captain in 2007. [8] Graf then served as the assistant operations officer for the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) carrier strike group.

From 20 March 2008 to 13 January 2010, Graf was the commanding officer of the guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG-63), based in Yokosuka, Japan. [1] [9] [10]

Relieved of command

On 13 January 2010, Graf was relieved of command of USS Cowpens by Rear Admiral Kevin Donegan, commander of Carrier Strike Group Five, as non-judicial punishment stemming from an admiral's mast. The punishment followed an investigation which verified allegations of cruelty and maltreatment of her crew, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Graf was found to have violated articles 93 and 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice during her tenure as commanding officer of Cowpens. The investigation was initiated after multiple allegations and complaints of physical and verbal abuse were made to Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Navy Inspector General by members of the crew. Graf was subsequently replaced as the ship's commanding officer by Captain Robert Marin. [8] [9] [11]

The report found that Graf frequently abused members of her crew verbally and physically, creating what one crew member described as "an environment of fear and hostility". She was also faulted for neglecting her junior officers; the Navy has long considered training of junior officers to be one of the most important duties of a commanding officer. Graf initially blamed the complaints about her command style on a disgruntled group in the Cowpens wardroom. However, in a follow-up email, she admitted to raising her voice and cursing at times to show she meant business. [5] [8]

Subsequent reports by Time revealed that Graf had a history of abusive treatment of subordinates as far back as her tenure on the Curtis Wilbur. Previous complaints had not been acted upon by Navy leaders. Many who served with her thought she was the closest thing they'd seen to an actual Captain Bligh. [8] For instance, while she was commander of the Churchill, a propeller snapped just as it was leaving port, leaving it dead in the water. Graf grabbed the navigator and dragged him to the outdoor bridge wing while cursing at him. According to chaplain Maurice Kaprow, many Churchill sailors, knowing that Graf's career would have ended if the Churchill had run aground, started jumping for joy and singing "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" on the fantail. Kaprow later said that the crew's morale was the lowest he'd ever seen in his 20-year naval career. [5] The Churchill's gunnery officer said that Graf frequently spat at other officers and threw things at them, including ceramic coffee cups and binders. Ultimately, the entire crew broke out in cheers when she changed command in 2004. [8]

Later career

Graf was slated to take a job at the Office of Information, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5) at the Pentagon after leaving the Cowpens. [9] However, after losing her command, Graf was reassigned to the Naval Surface Warfare Center's laboratory in Dahlgren, Virginia. [5]

A board of inquiry composed of three admirals held hearings regarding her conduct in November 2010. [12] On 3 December 2010, the board of inquiry recommended that Graf be separated from the Navy and receive a retirement under general circumstances so she could be allowed to retire with the rank of captain. General discharges (or a "General" characterization to retiring commissioned officers) are given to service members whose performance is satisfactory but is marked by a considerable departure in the performance and conduct standards expected of military members. [13] On 6 January 2012, this decision was reversed and Graf was allowed to receive an honorable service characterization as a retired officer, as it was, "...determined that her conduct did not rise to a level sufficient to warrant the characterization of her service as less than honorable". [14]

Military awards

Graf's awards include:

Joint Chiefs of Staff seal.svg
Surface Warfare Officer Insignia.png
Legion of Merit ribbon.svg
Bronze Star ribbon.svg Defense Meritorious Service Medal ribbon.svg
1 golden star.svg
Meritorious Service Medal ribbon.svg
Ribbonstar-bronze.svg
National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg
Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon.svg Global War on Terrorism Service Medal ribbon.svg
Command at Sea insignia Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Surface Warfare insignia
Legion of Merit Bronze Star Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Winston S. Churchill</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She is named after Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This ship is the 31st destroyer of her class and the 18th ship of the class to be built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Construction began on 7 May 1998, and the vessel launched and christened on 17 April 1999. On 10 March 2001, she was commissioned during a ceremony at Town Point Park in Norfolk, Virginia.

USS <i>Mustin</i> (DDG-89) US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Mustin (DDG-89) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named in honor of the Mustin family who have devoted over a century to US Naval service. This ship is the 39th destroyer of her class. Mustin was the 18th ship of this class to be built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and construction began on 15 January 2001. She was launched on 12 December 2001 and was christened on 15 December 2001. On 26 July 2003, a twilight commissioning ceremony was held at the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California.

USS <i>Arleigh Burke</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), named for Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN (1901–1996), is the lead ship of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works company at Bath, Maine, on 6 December 1988; launched on 16 September 1989; and commissioned on 4 July 1991.

USS <i>Stout</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Stout (DDG-55) is the fifth Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. Built for the United States Navy by Ingalls Shipbuilding, she was commissioned on 13 August 1994 and she is currently home-ported in Naval Station Norfolk. She is part of Destroyer Squadron 28. Stout is named for Rear Admiral Herald F. Stout, who distinguished himself as the commanding officer of the destroyer USS Claxton during World War II. In November 1943, Commander Stout received two Navy Crosses in the span of three weeks for his actions in the Pacific. Stout aided Destroyer Squadron 23 in sinking five heavily armed Japanese warships and damaging four others during the Solomon Islands campaign as well as sinking four more Japanese warships and damaging two others to establish a beachhead on Bougainville Island. Stout was ordered on 13 December 1988, the keel was laid down on 8 August 1991, she was launched on 16 October 1992 and commissioned on 13 August 1994. As of January 2024 the ship is part of Destroyer Squadron 28 based out of Naval Station Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac C. Kidd</span> US Navy RADM, Medal of Honor recipient (1884–1941)

Isaac Campbell Kidd was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He was the father of Admiral Isaac C. Kidd Jr. Kidd was killed on the bridge of USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The highest ranking casualty at Pearl Harbor, he became the first U.S. Navy flag officer killed in action in World War II as well as the first killed in action against any foreign enemy.

USS <i>Cowpens</i> (CG-63) Ticonderoga-class cruiser

USS Cowpens (CG-63) was a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser in service with the United States Navy from 1991 to 2024. The ship is named after the Battle of Cowpens, a major American victory near Cowpens, South Carolina, in the American Revolution. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine. Cowpens was last stationed at Naval Base San Diego.

USS <i>Mahan</i> (DDG-72)

USS Mahan (DDG-72) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer currently in service with the United States Navy. This ship is the 22nd destroyer of her class. USS Mahan was the 12th ship of this class to be built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and construction began on 17 August 1995. She was launched and christened on 29 June 1996. On 14 February 1998 she was commissioned in Tampa, Florida. Mahan is homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, and as of 2012 was attached to Destroyer Squadron 2. By 2016, the ship was part of Destroyer Squadron 22.

USS <i>OKane</i>

USS O'Kane (DDG-77) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. The ship was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, starting on 8 May 1997. The ship was commissioned on 23 October 1999. She is named for Medal of Honor recipient Rear Admiral Richard O'Kane.

USS <i>Porter</i> (DDG-78) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Porter (DDG-78) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. Porter is the fifth US Navy ship to be named after US Navy officers Commodore David Porter, and his son, Admiral David Dixon Porter. This ship is the 28th destroyer of her class. Porter was the 12th ship of this class to be built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was laid down on 2 December 1996, launched and christened on 12 November 1997, and commissioned 20 March 1999, in Port Canaveral, Florida.

USS <i>Momsen</i>

USS Momsen (DDG-92) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in service with the United States Navy. Momsen is the twenty-sixth destroyer of the Arleigh Burke class to be built by Bath Iron Works. She is named after Vice Admiral Charles B. "Swede" Momsen of Flushing, Queens, New York (1896–1967). Vice Admiral Momsen made many contributions to the navy such as the invention of the Momsen Lung when he was assigned to the Bureau of Construction and Repair. Momsen was also involved in the first successful rescue of a crew of a sunken submarine, USS Squalus, and subsequently supervised the salvage of the boat.

USS <i>James E. Williams</i> US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS James E. Williams (DDG-95) is a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. The ship was named for Boatswain's mate Petty officer first class James Eliott Williams (1930–1999), a River Patrol Boat commander and Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War who is considered to be the most decorated enlisted man in Navy history. As of April 2023 the ship is part of Destroyer Squadron 26 based out of Naval Station Norfolk.

USS <i>Halsey</i> (DDG-97) American naval ship

USS Halsey (DDG-97) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. It is the second ship to be named for Fleet Admiral William Halsey Jr.

USS <i>Coontz</i> US Navy destroyer

USS Coontz (DLG-9/DDG-40) was a Farragut-class destroyer leader/frigate in the United States Navy. She was named after Admiral Robert Coontz, the US Navy's second chief of naval operations.

USS <i>Gravely</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Gravely (DDG-107) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named after Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Commissioned in 2010, she has been on several overseas deployments.

USS <i>Bainbridge</i> (DDG-96) United States Navy guided missile destroyer

USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is the fifth ship to carry that name, and the 46th destroyer of a planned 75-ship class. Bainbridge is named in honor of Commodore William Bainbridge, who as commander of the frigate USS Constitution distinguished himself in the War of 1812 when he and his crew captured HMS Java, a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy.

USS <i>Spruance</i> (DDG-111) United States Navy guided missile destroyer

USS Spruance (DDG-111) is a United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. She is the 61st ship in her class. Spruance is the second ship to be named for Admiral Raymond A. Spruance (1886–1969), who commanded American naval forces at the Battles of Midway and the Philippine Sea. He was later Ambassador to the Philippines. Her keel was laid down on 14 May 2009. She was christened by the admiral's granddaughter, Ellen Spruance Holscher, on 5 June 2010 in Bath, Maine at Bath Iron Works, where the ship was built at a cost of $1 billion. The completed ship left Bath on 1 September 2011 for her commissioning in Key West, Florida on 1 October 2011.

USS <i>Fitzgerald</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), named for United States Navy officer Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald, is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William J. Flanagan Jr.</span> American admiral

Admiral William John Flanagan Jr. is a retired United States Navy four star admiral who served as Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet from 1994 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry C. Mustin (1933–2016)</span> U.S. Navy vice admiral

Henry "Hank" Croskey Mustin was a vice admiral in the United States Navy and among the namesakes of USS Mustin (DDG-89). He distinguished himself during both the Vietnam and Cold Wars. As a flag officer he commanded Cruiser Destroyer Group 2, US Second Fleet, NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic, and Joint Task Force 120, where he was responsible for 225 ships and 2,100 aircraft spanning over 45 million square miles from the Arctic Circle to the Equator. Vice Admiral Mustin directed US Navy arms control planning, including the START negotiations with the Soviet Union. He led high-level US interagency delegations to Moscow, London, Paris, Lisbon, Oslo and Seoul. As Commander, NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic, he instituted major strategic changes to the defense of NATO that shaped the nation's maritime strategy. He also served as the senior US military representative to the United Nations. He retired from the navy on January 1, 1989, after nearly 34 years of active duty service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Chadwick II</span> U.S. Navy admiral

Robert Berry Chadwick II is a United States Navy rear admiral and surface warfare officer who served as the commander of Carrier Strike Group 9 from July 9, 2021 to June 2, 2023. He most recently served as the commander of Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific from June 14, 2019 to June 18, 2021. Prior to that, Chadwick served as the 87th Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy from June 2017 to June 2019, with tours as commander of Destroyer Squadron 21 from March 2015 to August 2016 and commanding officer of USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) from November 2010 to July 2011.

References

  1. 1 2 Fred Willshaw. "USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81)". Navsource.org. Paul R. Yarnall and NavSource Naval History.
  2. Thompson, Mark, "The Rise and Fall of a Female Captain Bligh", Time , 3 March 2010.
  3. Slavin, Erik, "Navy to let ousted captain of Yokosuka-based ship to get 'honorable' retirement", Stars and Stripes , 8 January 2012.
  4. "Rear Admiral Robin L. Graf, Deputy Commander, Navy Recruiting Command". US Navy Biography. Department of the Navy.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Thompson, Mark (11 March 2010). "Sexism and the Navy's Female Captain Bligh (published in print as "The Sea Witch")". Time. Archived from the original on 13 March 2010.
  6. United States Navy (2010). "Rear Admiral Robin L. Graf Deputy Commander, Navy Recruiting Command". USA.gov . United States Navy . Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  7. "Twenty-five Years of Women Aboard Combat Vessels".
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Thompson, Mark (3 March 2010). "The Rise and Fall of a Female Captain Bligh". Time. Archived from the original on 7 March 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 Ewing, Philip (8 March 2010). "Skipper fired for 'cruelty' assigned to Dahlgren". Navy Times . Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  10. cowpensvets.org (2010). "CAPT Holly Graf - United States Navy - COWPENS' Tenth Commanding Officer". cowpensvets.org. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  11. Carter, David, J. (16 January 2010). "Admiral relieves Cowpens captain". Stars and Stripes . Retrieved 18 March 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. Dave Larter (29 November 2010). "Graf board of inquiry to convene Tuesday". Navy Times. Gannett Government Media Corporation.
  13. Dave Larter (3 December 2010). "Panel: Graf should get general discharge". Navy Times. Gannett Government Media Corporation.
  14. Sam Fellman (6 January 2012). "Fired Cowpens CO to get 'honorable' retirement". Navy Times. Gannett Government Media Corporation. Retrieved 16 January 2012.