Navy relieves USS West Virginia submarine commander for ‘loss of confidence’

The commander of the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS West Virginia was removed from his post last week after less than a year on the job, the Navy said over the weekend.

Cmdr. Joseph Sammur, the commander of the submarine’s Blue Crew was relieved of his command role by the head of Submarine Squadron 20 on Thursday, July 30, the Navy announced Aug. 1. No reason was given for Sammur’s dismissal save for a “loss of confidence in his ability to command.”

Sammur had led one of the submarine’s two crews since Aug. 14, 2025 when he took over Blue Crew from Cmdr. James Kepper IV. Navy submarine blue and gold crews alternate staffing patrols on submarines.

Sammur is the latest naval commander to be removed from his post this year. As in many past cases, the Navy did not give a specific reason. “Loss of confidence” is used by the service as the reason for removal, a term that can cover everything from mishaps onboard the vessel, personal misconduct or poor performance on the job. The Navy did not allude to any reason; Sammur was reassigned temporarily to Submarine Group 10. 

Cmdr. Luke Kelvington, Deputy for Training for the submarine squadron, was named the interim Blue Crew commander.

According to limited biographical information on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service from when he took command in 2025, Sammur commissioned in 2006. He previously was the  Strategic Operations Section Head for the “Green Dragons” Operations Team at the National Airborne Operations Center.

The USS West Virginia entered service in 1990 and is homeported in Kings Bay, Georgia. It is currently at port for maintenance. The Navy said Sammur’s removal will not impact operations.