WASHINGTON — Defense officials said Wednesday that investigators will likely question those who served as Capt. Owen Honors’ superior officers at the time he was making a series of lewd videos aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The Navy relieved Honors of command of the USS Enterprise on Tuesday, days after the videos surfaced. Honors was second in command of the warship in 2006 and 2007, when he produced, starred in and showed the satirical videos, which included slurs against gays and suggestive shower scenes.
Navy officials declined Wed nesday to identify those being questioned in the probe. But several defense officials, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, said investigators could potentially question two of the Enterprise’s top commanders from 2006 to 2007 and two commanders of the strike group the carrier sailed with during that period.
Rear Adm. Lawrence Rice commanded the Enterprise from December 2004 to May 2007, and Rear Adm. Ron Horton commanded the ship from mid-May 2007 to May 2010. Rear Adm. Raymond Spicer commanded the Enterprise carrier strike group from August 2005 to February 2007, and Vice Adm. Daniel Holloway commanded the strike group from February 2007 to August 2008.
The four could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
It was unclear when the videos were aired. Officials said they were trying to determine which senior Navy leadership knew about the videos when they were shown repeatedly to thousands of crew members aboard the nation’s oldest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
