An officer but apparently not a gentleman.
A United States Navy captain has been relieved of his duties after he admitted to hiring prostitutes while in Subic Bay, Philippines, a report from Friday says.
The navy officer was identified as Capt. Travis Zettel, the former commander of the submarine USS Bremerton, Washington State-based newspaper the Kitsap Sun reported.
The incident happened in March last year while the submarine was docked in a Subic Bay port but Zettel was only sacked in August.
Documents acquired by the Kitsap Sun show that the U.S. Department of Defense found out about the commander’s behavior from a tip sent to their inspector general’s hotline. This prompted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to investigate the matter.
NCIS agents interviewed the man who gave the tip who said that Zettel had told him and another sailor that he told 10 girls to go to their hotel. Later that night at around dinner time, the tipster said he saw Zettel with 10 “provocatively dressed females” outside the hotel.
According to the documents, Zettel “admitted culpability in the payment of female accompaniment.”
Although very common, especially in the Subic Bay area, prostitution is still illegal in the Philippines under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
Subic was previously the site of a major U.S. Navy facility.
According to the report, another sailor was also allegedly seen with “local females” but said that he did not participate in prostitution. The unnamed sailor was not pursued for disciplinary action.
Zettel, meanwhile, has been reassigned to the staff of Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor-based Submarine Squadron 19, Kitsap Sun reported. His demotion was first reported in August but the reason behind it was unknown at the time.
Before that, he had been commanding the USS Bremerton since August 2016, The Telegraph reported.
The USS Bremerton was on its final patrol after close to four decades when the incident happened, Stars and Stripes reported. It arrived in Bremerton, Washington State for decommissioning early last year.
Yesterday, the Philippines’ Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweeted about Zettel being relieved and praised the U.S. government for taking action.
Navy sub commander relieved of duty for hiring prostitutes in Philippines AND HE WAS FIRED BY THE US GOVERNMENT. NOW THAT'S A RESPONSIBLE STATE. https://t.co/KhDz9v6wDc
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) January 13, 2019
