Navy ship captain relieved of command amid misconduct allegations

Reporting from San Diego — The captain of a San Diego-based Navy ship, now deployed off Central and South America, has been relieved of command amid an investigation into allegations of misconduct, the Navy announced Thursday.

Cmdr. Luis Alva was relieved as commander of the frigate Vandegrift because the commodore of destroyer Squadron 23, Capt. Paul Hogue, lost confidence in his ability to command, the Navy said.

Although the Navy declined to provide details of Alva’s alleged misconduct, Navy Times reported that on Monday, Alva grabbed the buttocks of the wife of a chief petty officer in a bar in Panama City, Panama.

The Vandegrift deployed in May on a multinational drug interdiction mission.

Navy Times quoted a report of the alleged incident: “Over the course of the evening, the commanding officer began intoxicated and at some point he is alleged to have assaulted the victim by shoving/pushing in the face.”

Alva is a 1996 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has served aboard several combat ships. He will be temporarily assigned to the squadron staff, the Navy said.

In 2012, another Vandegrift commander was relieved of duty due to a drinking incident during a port call to Vladivostok, Russia.

Twitter: @LATsandiego