MANAMA, Bahrain - Commander of Task Force 55, Capt. Kelley Jones relieved the commanding officer of USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) Blue crew, Cmdr. Adam Ochs, Sept. 11, due to a loss of confidence in Och's ability to command the littoral combat ship.
Blue Crew Executive Officer Cmdr. Jeff Steiner has temporarily assumed command of Santa Barbara. Gold crew commanding officer Cmdr. Linzy Lewis is slated to assume command Sept. 12.
The Navy maintains the highest standards for leaders and holds them accountable when those standards are not met.
Santa Barbara is currently on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. The relief does not impact the ship's mission or schedule.
Ochs assumed the role as Santa Barbara's commanding officer Nov. 22, 2023. He has now been temporarily reassigned to Commander, Naval Surface Group Southwest.
The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses approximately 2.5 million square miles of water space and includes the Arabian gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal, and the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.
