Holly Graf
Encyclopedia
Holly Ann Graf was a captain in the United States Navy
. Until January 2010 she was commanding officer
of the Ticonderoga-class
guided missile
cruiser
USS Cowpens
, a major vessel of the fleet. She was the first woman to command a cruiser in the history of the navy. Earlier, she had been the first woman to command a destroyer
when she served as skipper of the USS Winston Churchill
. She holds the Bronze Star
, among others.
to a family with a long history of naval service. Her father had been a captain, and her sister, Robin L. Graf, is currently a Rear Admiral (LH). Graf graduated from the United States Naval Academy
in 1985. Most of her colleagues at the time believed she was well on her way to flag rank
.
She holds a Master of Arts degree
in National Security
and Strategic Studies
from the Naval War College
and a further Master's degree in civil engineering
from Villanova University
.
. Graf was also the Weapons Officer on the USS Ainsworth (FF-1090)
and executive officer
on the USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54)
. She was subsequently promoted to commander and served as commanding officer of the USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81)
from 20 April 2002 to 6 February 2004. During this deployment, she participated in the opening stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was promoted to captain in 2007. Graf then served as the assistant operations officer in the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
carrier strike group
. From 20 March 2008 to 13 January 2010, Graf was the commanding officer of the USS Cowpens, based in Yokosuka, Japan
.
, as non-judicial punishment
stemming from an admiral's mast
. The punishment followed an investigation which verified allegations of cruelty and maltreatment of her crew, and conduct unbecoming an officer
. Graf was found to have violated articles 93 and 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice
during her tenure as captain of the Cowpens. The investigation was initiated after multiple allegations and complaints of physical and verbal abuse were made to Naval Criminal Investigative Service
and the Navy Inspector General by members of the crew. Graf was subsequently replaced as the ship's commanding officer by Captain Robert Marin.
The report found that Graf frequently abused members of her crew verbally and physically, creating what one crew member described as "an environment of fear and hostility." She frequently screamed and cursed at her officers and men, and often grabbed junior officers during heated discussions. She also sent a respected master chief
to "time out," standing in the main control room doing nothing.
Graf was also found to have neglected her junior officers, even though the Navy considers training of junior officers to be among a CO's highest priorities. One of them told the IG that Graf said to his face, "I don't have time to train junior officers." She reportedly told an officer who needed her guidance on something, "This is one of the reasons I hate you." When an officer wanted to clear the air about an earlier heated discussion, Graf ordered him to "get the fuck out of my stateroom." She was particularly hard on female officers looking to her as a mentor. When one female officer asked for help, Graf snapped at her, "Don't come to me with your problems. You're a fucking department head." Another said that Graf had called her and another officer "fucking unbelievable" and would have fired them if she had the authority to do so.
Graf claimed she never made such comments, blaming the complaints about her command style on a disgruntled group in the Cowpens wardroom. However, in a follow-up email, she admitted to raising her voice and cursing at times to show she meant business.
Subsequent reports by Time
revealed that Graf had a history of abusive treatment of subordinates as far back as her tenure on the Curtis Wilbur. Previous complaints had not been acted upon by Navy leaders. Many who served with her thought she was the closest thing they'd seen to a female Captain Bligh
. For instance, while she was commander of the Churchill, a propeller snapped just as it was leaving port, leaving it dead in the water. Graf grabbed the Royal Navy
navigator and dragged him to the outdoor bridge wing, screaming, "Did you run my fucking ship aground?" According to chaplain Maurice Kaprow, many Churchill sailors, knowing that Graf's career would have ended if the Churchill had run aground, started jumping for joy and singing Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead on the fantail. Kaprow later said that the crew's morale was the lowest he'd ever seen in his 20-year naval career. The Churchill's gunnery officer said that Graf frequently spat at other officers and threw things at them—including ceramic coffee cups and binders. Ultimately, the entire crew broke out in cheers when she was relieved in 2004.
's laboratory in Dahlgren, Virginia
.
A board of inquiry composed of three admirals held hearings regarding her conduct in November 2010. On December 3, 2010, the board of inquiry recommended that Graf be separated from the Navy and receive a general discharge so she could be allowed to retire with the rank of captain.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Until January 2010 she was commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the Ticonderoga-class
Ticonderoga class cruiser
The Ticonderoga class of missile cruisers is a class of warships in the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in FY 1978. The class uses phased-array radar and was originally planned as a class of destroyers...
guided missile
Missile guidance
Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness...
cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
USS Cowpens
USS Cowpens (CG-63)
USS Cowpens is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser currently in service with the United States Navy.-Overview:The USS Cowpens is currently forward-deployed and is homeported at United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Yokosuka, Japan...
, a major vessel of the fleet. She was the first woman to command a cruiser in the history of the navy. Earlier, she had been the first woman to command a destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
when she served as skipper of the USS Winston Churchill
USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81)
USS Winston S. Churchill is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. She is the 31st destroyer of a planned 62-ship class. The Churchill is named after the...
. She holds the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
, among others.
Early life
Graf grew up in Simsbury, ConnecticutSimsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury is a suburban town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 23,234 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's twenty-first town in May 1670.-Early history:...
to a family with a long history of naval service. Her father had been a captain, and her sister, Robin L. Graf, is currently a Rear Admiral (LH). Graf graduated from the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1985. Most of her colleagues at the time believed she was well on her way to flag rank
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
.
She holds a Master of Arts degree
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in National Security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
and Strategic Studies
Strategic studies
Strategic studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to topics concerning the relationship between politics, geography and natural resources, economics, and military power, such as the role of intelligence, diplomacy and threats in the preparation and use of force...
from the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
and a further Master's degree in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
from Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
.
Navy career
Graf's previous billets include Auxiliaries Officer and First Division Officer on the USS Puget Sound (AD-38)USS Puget Sound (AD-38)
USS Puget Sound was a , the second ship of the United States Navy to bear the name Puget Sound.The building contract was awarded December 29, 1964 to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. The keel was laid February 15, 1965, and she was launched September 16, 1966...
. Graf was also the Weapons Officer on the USS Ainsworth (FF-1090)
USS Ainsworth (FF-1090)
USS Ainsworth was a Knox-class frigate named for Vice Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth . Ainsworth was laid down at Westwego, La., on 11 June 1971 by Avondale Shipyards, Inc.; launched on 15 April 1972; sponsored by Mrs...
and executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
on the USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54)
USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54)
USS Curtis Wilbur is the fourth Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. Curtis Wilbur was named for Curtis D. Wilbur, forty-third Secretary of the Navy, who served under President Calvin Coolidge....
. She was subsequently promoted to commander and served as commanding officer of the USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81)
USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81)
USS Winston S. Churchill is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. She is the 31st destroyer of a planned 62-ship class. The Churchill is named after the...
from 20 April 2002 to 6 February 2004. During this deployment, she participated in the opening stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was promoted to captain in 2007. Graf then served as the assistant operations officer in the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
The USS Carl Vinson is the third United States Navy Nimitz class supercarrier and is named after Carl Vinson, a Congressman from Georgia. Carl Vinson's callsign is "Gold Eagle". It played host to the first NCAA basketball game on an aircraft carrier on 11/11/11 between the University of North...
carrier strike group
Carrier Strike Group
A carrier strike group is an operational formation of the United States Navy. It is composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least two destroyers and/or frigates, and a carrier air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft...
. From 20 March 2008 to 13 January 2010, Graf was the commanding officer of the USS Cowpens, based in Yokosuka, Japan
United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka
U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, or Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka is a United States Navy base, in Yokosuka, Japan. Its mission is to maintain and operate base facilities for the logistic, recreational, administrative support and service of the U.S. Naval Forces Japan, U.S. 7th Fleet and...
.
USS Cowpens — Graf's relief of command
On 13 January 2010, Graf was relieved of command of USS Cowpens by Rear Admiral Kevin Donegan, commander of Carrier Strike Group FiveCarrier battle group
A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together composing the group. The first naval task forces built around carriers appeared just prior to and during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single...
, as non-judicial punishment
Nonjudicial punishment
Non-judicial punishment in the United States military, is a form of military justice authorized by Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Non-judicial punishment or "NJP" permits commanders to administratively discipline troops without a court-martial...
stemming from an admiral's mast
Mast (naval)
In naval tradition, a mast is a non-judicial punishment disciplinary hearing in which a commanding officer studies and disposes of cases involving those in his or her command. If the officer is a captain, as in most cases, it is referred to as a captain's mast...
. The punishment followed an investigation which verified allegations of cruelty and maltreatment of her crew, and conduct unbecoming an officer
Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman
Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman is an offense subject to court martial defined in the punitive code, Article 133, of the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice , enacted at ....
. Graf was found to have violated articles 93 and 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice
Uniform Code of Military Justice
The Uniform Code of Military Justice , is the foundation of military law in the United States. It is was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitution in Article I, Section 8, which provides that "The Congress shall have Power . ....
during her tenure as captain of the Cowpens. The investigation was initiated after multiple allegations and complaints of physical and verbal abuse were made to Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service is the primary security, counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, and law enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Navy...
and the Navy Inspector General by members of the crew. Graf was subsequently replaced as the ship's commanding officer by Captain Robert Marin.
The report found that Graf frequently abused members of her crew verbally and physically, creating what one crew member described as "an environment of fear and hostility." She frequently screamed and cursed at her officers and men, and often grabbed junior officers during heated discussions. She also sent a respected master chief
Master Chief Petty Officer
- Master Chief Petty Officer :U.S. Coast GuardMaster ChiefPetty OfficerCap & Collar deviceU.S. Coast GuardMaster ChiefPetty OfficerinsigniaGood conductRating badgeMaster ChiefPetty OfficerCap & Collar Insignia...
to "time out," standing in the main control room doing nothing.
Graf was also found to have neglected her junior officers, even though the Navy considers training of junior officers to be among a CO's highest priorities. One of them told the IG that Graf said to his face, "I don't have time to train junior officers." She reportedly told an officer who needed her guidance on something, "This is one of the reasons I hate you." When an officer wanted to clear the air about an earlier heated discussion, Graf ordered him to "get the fuck out of my stateroom." She was particularly hard on female officers looking to her as a mentor. When one female officer asked for help, Graf snapped at her, "Don't come to me with your problems. You're a fucking department head." Another said that Graf had called her and another officer "fucking unbelievable" and would have fired them if she had the authority to do so.
Graf claimed she never made such comments, blaming the complaints about her command style on a disgruntled group in the Cowpens wardroom. However, in a follow-up email, she admitted to raising her voice and cursing at times to show she meant business.
Subsequent reports by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
revealed that Graf had a history of abusive treatment of subordinates as far back as her tenure on the Curtis Wilbur. Previous complaints had not been acted upon by Navy leaders. Many who served with her thought she was the closest thing they'd seen to a female Captain Bligh
Mutiny on the Bounty
The mutiny on the Bounty was a mutiny that occurred aboard the British Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty on 28 April 1789, and has been commemorated by several books, films, and popular songs, many of which take considerable liberties with the facts. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian against the...
. For instance, while she was commander of the Churchill, a propeller snapped just as it was leaving port, leaving it dead in the water. Graf grabbed the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
navigator and dragged him to the outdoor bridge wing, screaming, "Did you run my fucking ship aground?" According to chaplain Maurice Kaprow, many Churchill sailors, knowing that Graf's career would have ended if the Churchill had run aground, started jumping for joy and singing Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead on the fantail. Kaprow later said that the crew's morale was the lowest he'd ever seen in his 20-year naval career. The Churchill's gunnery officer said that Graf frequently spat at other officers and threw things at them—including ceramic coffee cups and binders. Ultimately, the entire crew broke out in cheers when she was relieved in 2004.
Later career
Graf was slated to take a job at the Office of Information, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5) at the Pentagon after leaving the Cowpens. However, after losing her command, Graf was reassigned to the Naval Surface Warfare CenterNaval Surface Warfare Center
The Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers are composed of the Naval Surface Warfare Centers and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center . They operate in a seamless, integrated manner, and they collaborate with customers using a common work assignment process to get the right work to the right...
's laboratory in Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren is a census-designated place in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 997 at the 2000 census. The community is located within the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace American Viticultural Area winemaking appellation established by the United States...
.
A board of inquiry composed of three admirals held hearings regarding her conduct in November 2010. On December 3, 2010, the board of inquiry recommended that Graf be separated from the Navy and receive a general discharge so she could be allowed to retire with the rank of captain.
Military awards
Graf's awards include: |
 |
|||
| Command at Sea insignia | Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge The Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge is a U.S. Military badge presented to the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff upon appointment to position as either a Service Head, Vice Chairman, or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The decoration is also authorized to staff and... |
||
| Surface Warfare insignia | |||
| Legion of Merit Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements... |
Bronze Star Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the... |
Defense Meritorious Service Medal Defense Meritorious Service Medal The Defense Meritorious Service Medal is the third-highest award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense... w/ 1 award star Award star An award star is a decoration issued to personnel of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in lieu of multiple awards of the same award. An award star is very similar to an oak leaf cluster, which serves the same purpose in the United States Army and United States Air Force... |
|