SAN DIEGO (AP) — A U.S. Navy chief who wanted the internet so she and other enlisted officers could scroll social media, check sports scores and watch movies while deployed had an unauthorized Starlink satellite dish installed on a warship and lied to her commanding officer to keep it secret, according to investigators.
Internet access is restricted while a ship is underway to maintain bandwidth for military operations and to protect against cybersecurity threats.
The Navy quietly relieved Grisel Marrero, a command senior chief of the littoral combat ship USS Manchester, in August or September 2023, and released information on parts of the investigation this week.
The Navy Times was first to report on the details.
Marrero, a former information systems technician, and senior leaders paid $2,800 for the Starlink High Performance Kit and had it installed in April 2023 prior to deployment of the San Diego-based Manchester, according to the investigation.
She and more than a dozen other chief petty officers used it to send messages home and keep up with the news and bought signal amplifiers during a stop in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after they realized the wireless signal did not cover all areas of the ship, according to the investigation.
Those involved also used the Chief Petty Officer Association’s debit card to pay off the $1,000 monthly Starlink bill.
The network was not shared with rank-and-file sailors.
Marrero tried to hide the network, which she called “Stinky,” by renaming it as a printer, denying its existence and even intercepting a comment about the network left in the commanding officer's suggestion box, according to the investigation.
Marrero did not respond to an AP email Friday seeking comment.
In March she was convicted at a court-martial where she pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty and providing false official statements to commanders, the Navy Times reported. She was demoted to a chief petty officer after trial.
Marrero was relieved “due to a loss of confidence in her leadership abilities,” said spokesperson Cmdr. Cindy Fields said via email.
“Navy senior enlisted leaders ... are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards,” Fields said.
Last week a commander of the destroyer USS John McCain was relieved of duty after he was seen in a photo firing a rifle with a scope mounted backward. The image brought the Navy considerable ridicule on social media.
FILE - Thousands attend the commissioning ceremony for the USS Manchester at the New Hampshire State Pier in Portsmouth, N.H.,on Saturday, May 26, 2018. (Ioanna Raptis/Portsmouth Herald via AP)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have walked out of Arrowhead Stadium both elated and dejected over the years. Most of the time it has been January, and they have been playing the Kansas City Chiefs for a spot in the Super Bowl.
There wasn't that same sort of finality on Sunday. But another last-second loss was brutal in its own way.
The Bengals had fought and rallied and fought some more to take the lead on Evan McPherson's fourth field goal with just under 10 minutes to go. And after their defense had forced Kansas City to punt, it was on the verge of another big stop, when a penalty on safety Daijahn Anthony inside the final minute kept the Chiefs' own comeback hopes alive.
A few plays later, Harrison Butker kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired to give Kansas City a 26-25 victory.
“It hurts,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor admitted, “but I'm really proud of the way we fought. We put ourselves in some really good situations in both halves. The defense getting those takeaways was critical. I’m disappointed that we lost. It was an emotional loss for us. But at the same time, I like where our team’s mental state is right now.”
It was an especially emotional game for Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase, who had to be held back from referee Alex Kemp at one point in the fourth quarter after he thought a penalty should have been called for a hip-drop tackle on him.
It was Burrow who physically dragged his wide receiver away as Kemp threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“It's just simply abusive language toward a game official. That's all it was,” Kemp said after the game. “There was really no interpretation. I'm not going to repeat to you what he said, but there was no interpretation with the language that he used.”
Kemp said Chase crossed a line when it became “profanity used by grown men versus direct, personal, abusive language towards a game official. That's the line. When that line gets crossed, we simply can't let that happen in pro football.”
Chase refused to discuss the penalty in the postgame locker room, saying only: “It doesn’t feel great losing.”
“It’s OK to be emotional,” Taylor said. “I can’t see everything that’s said or done, so it’s better that I not comment on it.”
The Bengals still have 15 games ahead of them, but they are already in a deep hole. Their surprising loss to the Patriots in their season opener means they are 0-2, and should Taylor manage to get them turned around and into the playoffs, they now face the prospect of Kansas City holding the tiebreaker over them.
That could mean another matchup in Arrowhead Stadium. Butker's kick on Sunday was the same direction, and almost the same distance, as the 45-yarder he hit against the Bengals for a 23-20 victory in the AFC championship game on Jan. 29, 2023.
There were certainly bright spots for Cincinnati, especially after its performance last week against New England.
Burrow looked much better throwing the ball, finishing with 258 yards passing and two touchdowns. Most importantly, he did not seem to be affected by his bothersome wrist in his second game since having surgery on it.
Burrow did fumble the ball, though, and Chamarri Conner returned it 37 yards for a second-half touchdown.
“I gifted them six points,” Burrow said, "so that was frustrating.”
Both of his touchdown passes went to Andrei Iosivas, who came through as Tee Higgins missed another game with a hamstring injury. Iosivas and tight end Mike Gesicki, who had seven catches for 91 yards, also helped make up for a poor game from Chase, who was limited to four catches for 35 yards and had the silly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
That flag was thrown after Chase's reception had set up a manageable third down midway through the fourth quarter. The 15-yard penalty pushed the Bengals back to third-and-22 at the Kansas City 45, and after a 10-yard pass to Gesicki, the Bengals had to kick a field goal for a 25-23 lead with just over five minutes left in the game.
Ultimately, penalties were a big reason why the Bengals came undone. They had eight of them for 79 yards. And while the one against Chase was important, the one against Anthony on fourth down in the final minute was crippling.
“We’ve been here before, unfortunately. We know what this feels like, and we know it’s a long season,” Taylor said. “We know we can get ourselves out of it. Stick together. Get our emotions in check and come back (next week) and play a great game.”
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (88) leaps over Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (7) walks off the field after kicking a 51-yard field goal at the end of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals to give the Chiefs a 26-25 victory Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (7) kicks a 51-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals to give the Chiefs a 26-25 victory Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
