The commander of the Navy destroyer USS Truxtun was removed from the ship on Sunday, “due to a loss of confidence” in his ability to command, following the ship colliding with a supply vessel earlier this month.
This afternoon the Navy said that the head of Naval Forces Southern Command, Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, relieved Cmdr. James Koffi of command of the Truxtun. Cmdr. Taylor Auclair, previously with the U.S. Fleet Forces Command was named the interim commander of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Koffi has been reassigned to Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Atlantic.
“The Navy maintains the highest standards for leaders and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,” the Navy said in its statement.
The USS Truxtun is only a few weeks into its deployment to the Caribbean, having left Naval Station Norfolk near the beginning of February (after a brief return to port for repairs). On Feb. 11, the ship was being replenished at sea by the oil supply ship the USNS Supply. Video taken onboard the Supply, and verified by the BBC, showed the Truxtun veering to starboard during the replenishment, hitting the oiler. The crash remains under investigation, the Navy said on Sunday.
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The crash was one of two mishaps to hit Joint Task Force Southern Spear this month. A Marine fell overboard from the USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault ship. After three days of searching the Marine, Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka Oforah, was declared dead.
Koffi took command of the destroyer in January 2025. Prior to taking command, he had served as the ship’s executive officer for a year and a half. During his tenure as the ship’s commander the Truxtun carried out a months-long deployment, including a stint in the Red Sea in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
The Truxtun is one of several warships deployed to the Caribbean in recent months as part of the U.S. military buildup for Operation Southern Spear. The destroyer was a recent addition, arriving after the attack on Venezuela and before the USS Gerald R. Ford left the region for the Middle East.
