Navy relieves commander of ship that ran aground while deployed near Sochi Olympics

WASHINGTON – The commander of the U.S. Navy ship that ran aground while deployed near the Olympics has been relieved of his command.

Navy officials in Europe issued a statement Tuesday saying Cmdr. Dennis Volpe was reassigned to another job due to loss of confidence in his ability to command. The Navy says the USS Taylor, one of two U.S. warships dispatched to the Black Sea before the Sochi Winter Olympics, remains under repair in the Turkish port at Samsun. It ran aground there Feb. 12 while preparing to moor.

The guided-missile frigate arrived in the Black Sea early this month with the USS Mount Whitney, an amphibious command ship. The Pentagon announced the planned deployment in January, after terrorist groups threatened to disrupt the Olympic Games in Russia.