It’s a feminist marker of sorts when a female navy captain gets booted from her command and it’s absolutely clear that sexism had nothing to do it. From the near-unanimous reports of her crew, Captain Holly Graf was the nastiest sailor ever to command a warship:
She “creates an environment of fear and hostility [and] frequently humiliates and belittles watch standers by screaming at them with profanities in front of the Combat Information Center and bridge-watch teams,” a crew member told the IG. According to 29 of the 36 crew members who were questioned for the Navy’s report, Graf repeatedly dropped F bombs on them. “Take your goddam attitude and shove it up your f______ ass and leave it there,” she allegedly told an officer during a stressful maneuver aboard the 567-ft., 10,000-ton vessel.
Here’s another crew member on her sadistic, Mommie Dearest qualities:
“The only words I want to hear out of your mouth are ‘Yes ma’am’ or ‘You’re correct, ma’am.’ ” She also allegedly put a “well-respected master chief” in “time out” - standing in the ship’s key control room doing nothing - “in front of other watch standers of all ranks.”
And finally, a sister crew member.
‘Don’t come to me with your problems,’ ” she said, quoting Graf. ” ‘You’re a f______ department head.’ ” The officer also said that Graf once told her, “I can’t express how mad you make me without getting violent.”
A second female officer told the IG that Graf was a “terrible role model for women in the Navy,” alleging that Graf once told her and a fellow officer on the bridge, “You two are f______ unbelievable. I would fire you if I could, but I can’t.”
