The Navy says it fired the top 2 officers of the combat ship USS Montgomery due to 'loss of...

The US Navy announced Thursday it fired the top two officers in charge of the USS Montgomery due to "a loss of confidence in their ability to command."

Cmdr. Richard Zamberlan, the commanding officer, and Cmdr. Phillip Lundberg, the executive officer, were both relieved of duty in a rare termination of two high-ranking officials. Both Zamberlan and Lundberg will be reassigned to the Pacific Fleet's Naval Surface Force, the Navy statement said.

Though the Navy did not reveal the reasons behind the firings in its December 30 statement, The New York Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune reported shortly afterward that both Zamberlan and Lundberg had been removed due to their handling of a sexual harassment investigation.

The details of the investigation and the two officers' roles in it remain unclear. The USS Montgomery is a littoral combat ship based in San Diego.