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approaching dhow in fact, his operations watch was doing everything possible to contact the boat to warn it away from the carrier. Although the details are not yet available, it is a virtual certainty that Squires dispatched another vessel in his Strike Group to investigate and divert the dhow.

But remember: It was night, dhows are made of wood (and thus are poor radar targets), and things were happening quickly.

About twenty minutes after first sighting of the dhow, the small vessel completely disappeared not only from the carrier's radar screens and could not be spotted visually either. And then, about ten minutes later, precisely during the final approach of an F-14, Kennedy lookouts sighted the dhow close aboard off their starboard bow. Changing course at this moment to avoid collision would have risked the lives of the aircrew, the deck personnel, and could have significantly damaged the carrier and the aircraft on its deck.

Squires held his course until immediately after successful arrest of the landing plane, and then turned sharply to port. As the carrier pitched in the sudden turn, the F-14 slid into a parked F/A-18, damaging both aircraft. Men scattered on the deck, and the dhow struck a glancing blow to starboard, broke apart from the impact, and sank.

Both Kennedy and Somerset launched helicopters and small craft to search for survivors, but it was dark and rough, and all they found were a few pieces of rotting wood.

A month and five days later, on Aug. 27, the Navy relieved Squires of his command. Not for cause, Navy spokesmen explained, but for "administrative reasons."

Capt. Squires has more than 4,900 flight hours, 89 combat sorties, and 510 arrested landings. His awards include the Legion of Merit, three Meritorious Service Medals, an Air Medal, four Navy Commendation Medals with Combat "V," two Navy Achievement Medals, a Navy Unit Commendation, and various campaign and service ribbons.

This man, this distinguished officer, this hero, the Navy relieved for doing his duty, for following the rules, for taking actions that best served the interests of his ship, his crew, and his country. After reviewing all accounts of the incident I must ask, what is going on here?

Is there something we don't know? Is a Navy desk-jockey staffer second-guessing an operational commander? Is politics getting in the way of common sense? Is a two-bit wooden dhow manned by a potentially hostile crew worth more that the life and career of a distinguished officer?

Whoever went down that night alongside the Kennedy could not possibly have missed the ongoing carrier operations. They could not possibly have missed the warning signals by radio, signal light, and possibly even audible hailing. The inescapable conclusion is that the dhow was where it was because its skipper wanted it there, despite all the warnings.

The dhow and crew got precisely what they deserved, and it is unfortunate that a couple of expensive aircraft were damaged in the process. To relieve Capt. Squires over this incident is stupid beyond belief.

Capt. Smith was heroic; Capt. Squires is heroic; and the Kennedy legacy must be allowed to continue. An investigation is in order not of Squire's actions, but of his Navy superiors who allowed outside political pressures to overcome their common sense and judgment.

Learn more about this author, Robert Williscroft.
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