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Censure advised for Navy officers over raunchy videos

The former commander of a nuclear aircraft carrier, as well as two of his superiors, should be censured over raunchy videos shown to crew members, Navy investigators said Thursday.
U.S. Navy Capt. Owen Honors, portraying various Navy personnel, is shown three times in one frame of a profanity-laced comedy sketch that was digitally altered by members in the U.S. Navy and broadcast on the USS Enterprise via closed-circuit television.
U.S. Navy Capt. Owen Honors, portraying various Navy personnel, is shown three times in one frame of a profanity-laced comedy sketch that was digitally altered by members in the U.S. Navy and broadcast on the USS Enterprise via closed-circuit television.Anonymous / The Virginian-Pilot via AP
/ Source: msnbc.com staff and news service reports

The former commander of a nuclear aircraft carrier, as well as two of his superiors, should be censured over raunchy videos shown to crew members, Navy investigators said in releasing their findings Thursday.

The inquiry faulted Capt. Owen Honors, who was relieved of command of the USS Enterprise in January after Navy leaders learned about the videos from media reports, as well as Rear Adm. Lawrence Rice and Rear Adm. Ron Horton.

"Navy leaders are vested with extraordinary military authority and must be held to a higher standard and maintain their credibility in the eyes of their subordinates under the most difficult, even possibly life-threatening circumstances," Commander of Fleet Forces Adm. John Harvey said in a statement.

A Navy investigation found at least 25 videos contained that inappropriate scenes.

The recommendations, which were forwarded to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, have the potential to hinder the officers' careers.

In addition, Honors should have to show cause for why he should remain in the Navy, investigators advised.

Censure was also recommended for Capt. John Dixon, who served with Honors on the Enterprise.

The videos, produced on the ship and broadcast to the crew during deployments between October 2005 and December 2007, included anti-gay slurs, sailors of both genders in shower scenes and salty language. They were broadcast over the ship's television system during weekly movie nights.

Honors, who was serving as the Enterprise's executive officer at the time, starred in the videos. Sailors aboard the ship when the videos aired have said they were intended to be humorous and served as a way of maintaining morale on long deployments.

Harvey said the videos showed a profound lack of judgment when he moved Honors into an administrative job at Naval Station Norfolk.

The Navy said its investigation focused on all aspects of the production of the videos, including the actions of other senior officers who knew about the videos and what actions they took in response.

Honors' civilian attorney, Charles Gittins, has said that if Honors had been told to stop producing and broadcasting the videos, he would have done so.

Rear Adms. Rice and Horton commanded the Enterprise during Honors' tenure as executive officer.