U.S. Reps. Joe Courtney and Adam Smith pressed the Navy on Thursday for answers after the leadership triad of USS South Dakota was relieved of duty on Oct. 14, 2026, turning a submarine personnel action into a congressional oversight fight. Their letter to Hung Cao and Adm. Daryl Caudle said the service failed to tell the House Armed Services Committee that the commanding officer, executive officer and chief of the boat had been removed.
The timing matters because the lawmakers set a Nov. 20 deadline for a response, and they want the Navy to explain not just who was relieved, but what happened aboard SSN 790. The public affairs office for Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic had already said on Tuesday that Cmdr. Daniel Goodwin was relieved for a loss of confidence in his ability to fulfill his assigned duties, while Lt. Cmdr. Jacqueline Penichet and Senior Chief Information Systems Technician (Submarines) Jon Nogaj were also removed.
Courtney and Smith said the Navy’s failure to communicate the reliefs was unacceptable and argued that Congress and the department have long-standing customs for sharing information about at-sea incidents, accidents and dismissals of members of the command triad. Their complaint reaches beyond one boat: they said the lack of notice leaves open questions about the structural health of South Dakota, the well-being of the crew and whether any training or procedural failures were exposed.
Those questions sharpen because the lawmakers asked for clarification on whether South Dakota encountered a grounding or another mishap at sea, and the public record does not yet cleanly connect that episode to the firings. In September, a certification signed by Capt. Thomas Flaherty said Electronics Technician Navigation Seaman Ben Boyce was serving as a fathometer operator onboard South Dakota when he recognized that the rate of shoaling water presented an immediate navigational hazard and called away a yellow sounding before the prescribed tripwire was reached. That certification said his actions gave the watch team critical reaction time to keep the ship safe, but it still leaves unresolved whether that hazard was the same incident that led to the removals.
The submarine returned to its Groton, Conn., homeport on Oct. 23, and The Day reported that the family of Boyce shared information about the incident in a Facebook post that same day. The facts now point to a straightforward next step: the Navy has until Nov. 20 to explain what happened, why the command triad was relieved and why Congress was not told sooner.
