Holly Graf

Holly Ann Graf is a retired United States Navy officer. Until January 2010 she was commanding officer of the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG-63), a major surface combatant vessel of the fleet. She was the first woman to command a cruiser in the history of the U.S. Navy. Earlier, she had been among the first women in the U.S. Navy to command a destroyer when she served as skipper of the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81). Her personal decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star, among others. Graf was relieved of command for abusive behavior unbecoming of an officer and was featured in Time magazine that characterized her as a modern-day female "Captain Bligh". The U.S. Navy forced Graf into early retirement in 2012, but allowed her to do so at her current rank of captain and under "honorable circumstances".

Early life and education Graf grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut, to a family with a long history of naval service. Her father is a retired captain and submarine officer in the U.S. Navy, and her sister, Robin L. Graf, is a retired one-star rear admiral in the Navy Reserve. Graf graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1985. Most of her colleagues at the time believed she was well on her way to flag rank.

She holds a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and an additional Master's degree in civil engineering from Villanova University.

Navy career Graf's previous billets include Auxiliaries Officer and First Division Officer on the destroyer tender USS Puget Sound (AD-38), this due to combat restrictions in effect at the time (10 USC 6015) that precluded women from being eligible to serve on front-line combatant warships in the U.S. Navy. With the termination of this restriction in 1993 and the first women embarking on warships in 1994, Graf subsequently became the Weapons Officer aboard the frigate USS Ainsworth (FF-1090) and executive officer of the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54). She was subsequently promoted to commander and served as commanding officer of the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) from 20 April 2002 to 6 February 2004. During this deployment, she participated in the opening stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was promoted to captain in 2007.

Relieved of command On 13 January 2010, Graf was relieved of command of USS Cowpens by Rear Admiral Kevin Donegan, commander of Carrier Strike Group Five, as non-judicial punishment stemming from an admiral's mast. The punishment followed an investigation which verified allegations of cruelty and maltreatment of her crew, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Graf was found to have violated articles 93 and 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice during her tenure as commanding officer of Cowpens. The investigation was initiated after multiple allegations and complaints of physical and verbal abuse were made to Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Navy Inspector General by members of the crew. Graf was subsequently replaced as the ship's commanding officer by Captain Robert Marin.

The report found that Graf frequently abused members of her crew verbally and physically, creating what one crew member described as "an environment of fear and hostility". She was also faulted for neglecting her junior officers; the Navy has long considered training of junior officers to be one of the most important duties of a commanding officer. Graf initially blamed the complaints about her command style on a disgruntled group in the Cowpens wardroom. However, in a follow-up email, she admitted to raising her voice and cursing at times to show she meant business. On 3 December 2010, the board of inquiry recommended that Graf be separated from the Navy and receive a retirement under general circumstances so she could be allowed to retire with the rank of captain. General discharges (or a "General" characterization to retiring commissioned officers) are given to service members whose performance is satisfactory but is marked by a considerable departure in the performance and conduct standards expected of military members. On 6 January 2012, this decision was reversed and Graf was allowed to receive an honorable service characterization as a retired officer, as it was, "...determined that her conduct did not rise to a level sufficient to warrant the characterization of her service as less than honorable".

Military awards Graf's awards include:

Command at Sea insigniaOffice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification BadgeSurface Warfare insigniaLegion of MeritBronze StarDefense Meritorious Service Medal